KCSS publishes policy brief on WB6 integration into EU FDI screening mechanisms

Prishtina, March 18, 2026: The Kosovar Centre for Security Studies (KCSS) has published a new policy brief analysing pathways for the gradual integration of the six Western Balkans countries (WB6) into key EU mechanisms on the screening of foreign direct investments (FDI).

The brief focuses on two central components of the EU’s FDI screening framework: the FDI Screening Contact Points Network and the FDI Screening Expert Group. It explains their mandates, institutional setup, and role in supporting EU Member States in addressing security and public‑order risks linked to foreign investments.

Against the background of the EU’s enhanced accession methodology and growing emphasis on economic security, the paper argues that early engagement of WB6 institutions with these EU bodies could facilitate institutional learning, technical capacity‑building, and alignment with the EU acquis, even before formal accession.

The policy brief also reviews the current institutional arrangements in each WB6 country, identifying ministries and agencies that could, in the future, assume the role of national FDI screening contact points and participate in the EU expert group once the necessary legal and administrative frameworks are in place.

The publication contributes to ongoing regional and EU‑level discussions on phased integration, and forms part of KCSS’s broader research and advocacy work on operational integration between the EU and the Western Balkans, in the framework of the IGNITA initiative supported by Open Society Foundations - Western Balkans (OSF-WB)