Strengthening the rule of law inthe Western Balkans

Abstract

Rule of law is one of the fundamental values on which the EU is founded. Promoting the rule of law is a key part of the EU’s agenda in its relations with non-EU countries and it is a necessary condition that countries must comply with before acceding to the Union.

The EU’s support for the rule of law in enlargement countries is provided mainly through political and policy dialogue. In addition, during the accession process, candidate countries receive financial and technical assistance to help them implement the legal reforms required for Union membership.

The European Court of Auditors is currently conducting an audit to assess how effective the EU’s measures to support the rule of law have been in the Western Balkans, an area in the EU’s immediate neighbourhood. The audit is covering all four candidate countries (Albania, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia) and two potential candidate countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo) in the Western Balkans.