Webinar on Advancing EU–Western Balkans Security Cooperation through Operational Integration

Prishtina, 24 February 2026:  the Kosovar Centre for Security Studies (KCSS) hosted a regional webinar titled “Opportunities and Challenges for EU–Western Balkans Security Cooperation”, bringing together leading experts from the Western Balkans and the EU to examine how the region can move from political alignment toward practical, agency‑level security cooperation with the European Union.

The webinar was organized within the framework of the GAINS project (A New Security Agenda for the Gradual Integration of the Western Balkans into the European Union), supported by Open Society Foundations – Western Balkans, and built directly on the Operational Integration Agenda developed under the #IGNITA initiative.

Opening the discussion, Dr. Ramadan Ilazi, Head of Research at KCSS, emphasized that while EU enlargement remains a slow and politically sensitive process, security cooperation cannot wait for formal membership. He underlined the need to identify concrete entry points where Western Balkan institutions can already integrate into EU security frameworks in areas such as defence readiness, cybersecurity, justice cooperation, countering foreign interference, and economic security.

Iliriana Gjoni (Carnegie Europe) and Dr. Bojana Zorić (EU Institute for Security Studies) presented findings from their recent joint research, arguing that the Western Balkans already form part of Europe’s security space due to geography, infrastructure, and existing cooperation. They highlighted a growing mismatch between the EU’s accelerating defence agenda and the slower pace of political integration, warning that leaving this gap unmanaged risks fragmentation.

Speakers stressed that the region’s key contribution to European security lies less in military mass and more in stability, predictability, interoperability, and military mobility—particularly as a transit space linking Central Europe, the Adriatic, and the Black Sea. At the same time, they cautioned that defence modernisation without EU guidance could deepen dependence, interoperability problems, or governance risks.

Dr Marko Savković (ISAC Fund) offered a regional perspective on defence trends, noting rising military spending across the Western Balkans but also persistent trust deficits, diverging procurement paths, and unresolved political disputes. He warned that without greater transparency, civilian oversight, and communication, the region risks entering a cycle of “controlled competition” rather than genuine cooperation. The discussion highlighted that while formal cooperation mechanisms exist between Serbia and NATO, EU CSDP missions, and there are bilateral agreements, much of this cooperation remains invisible to the public, contributing to misperceptions and securitised narratives.

Focusing on cybersecurity, Ledia Canga, Senior Cybersecurity Risk Management Expert at Albania’s National Cyber Security Authority, argued that cyber threats do not follow accession timelines. She described cybersecurity as one of the most technically feasible and politically realistic domains for deeper EU–Western Balkans operational integration.

Drawing on Albania’s recent experience, she underlined the importance of institutional capacity, continuous monitoring, national SOCs, and structured information sharing. She called for performance‑based, capability‑driven inclusion of Western Balkan authorities in EU‑level mechanisms such as ENISA‑coordinated exercises and joint simulations, stressing that interoperability must be built before crises occur.

Misha Popovikj (Institute for Democracy “Societas Civilis”) addressed the intersection of organized crime, foreign direct investment, and security governance. He noted that Western Balkan criminal networks are deeply embedded in EU‑wide illicit markets, making regional weaknesses a shared European security concern. While acknowledging progress in joint investigations and cooperation with EU bodies such as Eurojust, he highlighted persistent challenges, including uneven prosecutorial capacity, political pressure on institutions, and risks of misuse of security governance for corruption or state capture. He stressed that investment screening and rule‑of‑law cooperation must be country‑agnostic, governance‑driven, and insulated from politicisation to strengthen resilience rather than reinforce existing vulnerabilities.

Key Takeaways

Across the discussion, speakers converged on several core messages:

• The Western Balkans are already part of Europe’s security ecosystem; the question is how to structure this reality responsibly.
• Operational integration—through agencies, technical cooperation, and shared standards—can advance ahead of formal enlargement.
• Trust, governance, and transparency are not secondary concerns but core security variables.
• Cybersecurity, military mobility, justice cooperation, and economic security offer immediate, practical entry points for deeper EU–Western Balkans cooperation.

The webinar concluded with a call for pragmatic, benchmark‑based engagement that matches responsibility with access, strengthens institutional capacity, and positions the Western Balkans as contributors—not just consumers—of European security.