Thewesternbalkans.
To support the effective implementation of the national Reform Agendas as a key operational instrument of the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans (GPWB), the Think for Europe Network (TEN) led by the European Policy Institute – Skopje (EPI), began implementation of a three-year regional initiative “WB Reform and Growth Monitor” with financial support from the European Union. The initiative aims at supporting stakeholder participation in the implementation of the Reform Agendas in the Western Balkans. More than 180 participants from across the Western Balkans and the European Union joined the official launch of the WB Reform and Growth Monitor Project on May 8 in Skopje.
Ten days later EPI organized the first meeting of the National Consultative Mechanism for the Reform Agenda (N-CoMRa) at Europe House in Skopje. This multi-sectoral mechanism is composed of civil society organizations with experience and interest in monitoring the Growth Plan, the Reform Agenda and the EU integration process. EPI’s Director, Simonida Kacarska, emphasized that this is the beginning of a forum for the exchange of experiences on the new instruments of the Growth Plan. It will be one of the channels for discussion on the topics covered by the Growth Plan.
Within the framework of the project “WB Reform and Growth Monitor”, financed by the European Commission, and implemented by the TEN – Think for Europe Network, the Group for Legal and Political Studies in Kosovo has undertaken the initiative to invite all civil society organizations, interest groups, and active citizens in Kosovo to join the National Consultation Mechanism for the Reform Agenda (N-CoMRA) in Kosovo.
The Institute for Democracy and Mediation (IDM) in Albania has launched on June 5 the N-CoMER as a platform for cross-sector dialogue. It aims to strengthen civil society’s voice in shaping inclusive and transparent reform processes. This first roundtable brought together civic and institutional actors as well as international partners to review the progress of the Albanian Reform Agenda, discuss the role of national consultation and coordination bodies, and explore participatory strategies for its execution.
Comment: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia are already benefiting from the €6 billion Growth Plan for the Western Balkans. To receive the funds, the Western Balkan countries will have to implement key reforms. They prepare Reform Programmes that are assessed and adopted by the Commission.
Yet, institutional action alone is not enough. Meaningful reform depends on the active involvement of civic actors—organizations, experts, and communities who can contribute to implementation and independent monitoring.
The European Commission and the Member States have always underlined the importance of the civil society organizations in the Western Balkans countries concerning the reforms envisioned by the Reform Agendas and the communication aspects of the Growth Plan.
Marta Kos, the European Commissioner for Enlargement, said that “The civil society organizations should monitor what the government is doing or not doing… Their role is very important in this process”.
NGOs have little involvement in the preparation of the Reform Programmes, but it is important that they participate in monitoring of their implementation.
