Priority countries

In the framework of the Young Political Leaders Programme (YPL) for the Western Balkans, several successful events organised in Brussels marked the activities of the year 2023: the continuation of the "Bridging the Gap" initiative on youth political participation and youth policy with young parliamentarians and CSO's representatives; a Workshop on prevention of intolerance, discrimination and hate crimes; and a capacity and consensus building activity for young Members of the Parliament of Albania (for more information, see section VI - Young Political Leaders (YPL) Programme)

Following the launch of EU accession negotiations on 19 July 2022 and subsequent analytical examinations of the acquis, Albania remained committed to strengthening the rule of law, combating corruption and organised crime, and progressing on EU-related reforms despite the ongoing economic and social challenges from the 2019 earthquake, COVID-19 pandemic, and the war in Ukraine. The Albanian Parliament successfully adopted legislative amendments to bolster its role in the EU integration process, overcoming significant political polarisation and divisions within the largest opposition party. Local elections on 14 May 2023 saw the participation of key political forces in the country. To support Albania's Parliament in strengthening its political and institutional capacities related to EU accession, the European Parliament carried out various activities in 2023, including the Young Political Leaders Programme, capacity building and development initiatives, and election observation missions.

In response to the increased polarisation within the Albanian Parliament, the European Parliament, in cooperation with the OSCE Presence in Tirana, organised a pilot activity for 15 members of the Parliament's Youth Club on 28-29 November 2023 under the Young Political Leaders Programme. This activity included capacity building, experience exchange, best practices in legislative processes, consensus building, and a comprehensive review of Albania's position in the accession process. Additionally, the European Parliament's Legal Service provided a series of training sessions to the legal service of the Albanian Parliament throughout 2023, focusing on public procurement and EU case law. Albanian lawyers received training from EP lawyer linguists on legislative procedures, the role of lawyer linguists in legislative texts, and practical aspects of wording. In May 2023, the EP secretariat hosted a fellow from the Albanian Parliament under the EP Pre-Accession Programme, who gained valuable experience from the AFCO and JURI Committees.

Following the presidential and general elections held in Bosnia and Herzegovina in October 2022, the European Parliament focused its support on capacity building activities to strengthen the accountability of the Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina towards its citizens. One notable activity was the study visit of members of the Bosnia and Herzegovina EU Integration Committee to the European Parliament in October 2023. This visit aimed to facilitate the exchange of views with MEPs, the Council, and the Commission on the enlargement package and the accession process in general. It specifically focused on how the European Parliament can further support the Committee and its members in their work, enhancing their understanding of the EU integration process and the necessary reforms.

In addition to this study visit, the European Parliament launched a training programme on interpretation as part of its capacity building activities for the secretariat of the Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This training focused on EU matters in specific sectors of expertise, including legal, procedural, and institutional terms, as well as support in simultaneous interpretation. The program aims to enhance the secretariat's capabilities in interpreting complex EU terminology and procedures, ensuring more effective communication and legislative processes. The training is set to continue throughout 2024, reflecting the European Parliament's commitment to bolstering the administrative and procedural competencies of the Bosnian Parliament.

The European Parliament continued its support to the Parliament of Montenegro during the 2019 - 2024 legislature. Two successful Citizens' Assemblies where implemented with the participation of the Parliament of Montenegro and two local NGOs in 2021 and 2022. In 2023, the European Parliament's support primarily focused on parliamentary capacity building and institutional reform, aiming to strengthen the functioning and integrity of Montenegro's parliamentary institutions.

In 2023, two significant study visits were organised for the Parliament of Montenegro. The first, on 7-8 February, was a follow-up to the Citizens' Assembly, aimed at discussing with citizens' representatives, MPs, and NGOs various models to improve administrative work and combat corruption. Participants engaged with officials from the European Anti-Fraud Office and the EU Ombudsman's office to explore institutional frameworks for fighting public sector corruption. Following the parliamentary elections in June, a study visit on the EU accession process was conducted on 29-30 November, where leaders of political groups from the Montenegrin Parliament discussed the accession process, expectations, and obligations with MEPs and officials from the European Commission and EEAS. Additionally, in November and December, a fellow from the Montenegrin Parliament participated in the EP Pre-Accession Programme, gaining practical insights from the Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, and Civil Affairs Committees. This placement provided the fellow with an in-depth understanding of migration policies and decision-making processes within the European Parliament.

Following the launch of EU accession negotiations with North Macedonia in July 2022, the EU screening process progressed smoothly throughout 2022 and 2023. The accession negotiation process necessitates robust, democratic institutions and a broad consensus among major political parties, fostering constructive and inclusive political debate. However, persistent political polarisation in the Parliament of North Macedonia led to delays in adopting numerous reform laws and important appointments. To address these challenges, the European Parliament's democracy support activities for North Macedonia in 2023 included continuing the Jean Monnet Dialogue process with the Sobranie, which was initially launched in Ohrid in May 2018. These efforts focused on implementing earlier commitments, such as revising the Rules of Procedure, and organising the fourth round of the Jean Monnet Dialogue at the Maison Jean Monnet in Bazoches in December 2023.

In addition to the Jean Monnet Dialogue, the European Parliament's Pre-Accession Fellowship Programme also supported North Macedonia in 2023. Under this program, the PAC Unit hosted a Fellow from the Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia enriching their understanding of the European Parliament's functions and enhancing their capacity to contribute to North Macedonia's EU accession efforts.

In the wake of the April 2022 elections and the constitution of the Serbian Parliament, DEG Lead MEPs for the Western Balkans continued engaging with the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia through 2022 and 2023. This engagement built on the successful Inter-Party Dialogue and established a new format of support, the 'Parliamentary Dialogue Process'. Despite these efforts, societal circumstances, notably the mass shootings in Belgrade in May 2023, triggered another political crisis, leading to early parliamentary elections in December 2023. The European Parliament's support to Serbia included numerous missions as part of the Parliamentary Dialogue Process, election observation, and the resumption of capacity-building activities.

A key activity was the study visit for newly elected members of the National Assembly of Serbia, organised by DEG on 7 March 2023. This visit-emphasised experience sharing, allowing Serbian MPs to discuss with their European Parliament peers crucial issues related to the EU integration process and the role of interparliamentary cooperation. Through these interactions, Serbian MPs gained valuable insights into the workings of the European Parliament and the practical aspects of advancing Serbia's EU accession efforts.

In cooperation with Kosovo Assembly and the European Partnership for Democracy, the European Parliament implemented an innovative deliberative event, a Citizens' Assembly on Disinformation in January 2024. The Assembly was set up to raise awareness and empower citizens in the fight against disinformation and also to strengthen the link between the citizens and the Parliament. The citizens approved by a large majority 30 strong recommendations including education activities to fight disinformation and empowerment of the Media Committee within the Parliament.

As follow-up for the Citizens' Assembly, a study visit on 16-17 April 2024 was organised by the European Parliament for the Media Committee Members, with the participation of the citizens-rapporteurs, the local NGOs and journalists from Kosovo. Triangle for Democracy Programme was introduced on the follow-up study visit on 17 April 2024.

Steered by the Lead Member for Ukraine, the EP engages in comprehensive capacity building support for the Members and staff of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (VRU), fortifying democracy support actions at both political and administrative level.

In 2023, the European Parliament (EP) significantly enhanced its support to the VRU in light of the Russia's ongoing war of aggression against the country, followed by Ukraine's application for the EU membership, subsequent EU candidate status and opening of the accession talks. The cooperation, based on a Memorandum of Understanding renewed on 28 November 2023, and the 2016 roadmap on internal reform, has focused on institutional reform and capacity building within the VRU. This support became even more pertinent following the European Council's decision of 14 December 2023 to open accession negotiations with Ukraine, which commenced on 25 June 2024.

An ongoing capacity-building programme on macroeconomic & financial affairs established by the leadership of the two institutions in 2023 is one of the key initiatives in this regard, not least in the context of the EU's €50 billion Ukraine Facility, supporting the country's recovery, reconstruction, modernisation and EU accession with €17 billion in grants and €33 billion in loans during the period of 2024-2027. The programme that contributes to strengthening parliamentary scrutiny in the reconstruction of Ukraine at a political and staff level comprises a series of online knowledge-sharing hub meetings, combined with an in-person study visits, taking place in 2024.

The EP's its capacity building activities are conducted in close co-operation with partners, including INTER PARES, International IDEA and RADA Next Generation (RANG) programmes.

A Parliamentary electoral dialogue on the challenges of holding post-war out-of-country voting for Ukraine's elections, held on 30-31 May 2023, involved parliamentarians, representatives of the Ukrainian Central Electoral Commission, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, civil society, and international electoral assistance providers.

The EP also organised several capacity building activities to align VRU's legislative and ethics standards with those of the EU, including online seminars on legal approximation, best legislative practices, and ethics. This included a study visit to the EP by VRU MPs to discuss ethics standards and the role of procedural rules. The DEG's Lead Member, Michael Gahler, participated in global discussions on governance and accountability. The EP services hosted Ukrainian civil servants as part of an EU-funded capacity-building project/under the Democracy Fellowship Programme.

The European Council's decisions to grant Moldova candidate status on 23 June 2022, followed by the opening of accession talks on 14 December 2023, marked significant achievements for Moldova and set a crucial political context for the European Parliament's democracy support activities. The European Parliament has prioritised democracy support in Moldova since 2014, intensifying efforts following the pro-European election outcomes in 2020 and 2021. The year 2023 saw a particularly robust engagement, leveraging the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the European Parliament and the Parliament of Moldova and a comprehensive roadmap of democracy support activities.

Among the key activities organised in 2023 was the Triangle for Democracy, which addressed mechanisms to counter manipulated information in the audiovisual environment, aligning with Moldova's de-oligarchisation efforts amid geopolitical challenges. In this context, a capacity building training to provide the Staff of the Moldovan Parliament with efficient tolls to tackle disinformation, took place. It consisted on five online sessions with insights from EP services, EEAS strategic communications experts, and the EU Delegation in Moldova, focusing on strategies to combat disinformation and foreign information manipulation.

Other capacity-building projects included a training on interpretation and translation. Several online workshops supported the interpretation and translation services of the Moldovan Parliament, culminating in a study visit to Brussels in May and June for two secretariat representatives participating in the Democracy Fellowship Programme.

Furthermore, several high-level conferences on the legislative cycle were organised. A significant event was the July 2023 study visit to the European Parliament in Brussels by 20 Moldovan Parliament members, led by Speaker Igor Grosu, to explore the EU accession process. This was followed by a seminar on 8 December 2023 in the Moldovan Parliament about the role of the parliament in European integration.

Following unprecedented mass protests in 2020, authorities in Belarus unleashed brutal repression, which led democratic forces to function largely from exile. In support of the democratic forces and their resilience, in March 2021, the DEG endorsed a Platform against Impunity for Human Rights Violations. The platform provides stakeholders with a space to discuss and support Belarussian civil society in collecting evidence of human rights violations. In parallel, the European Parliament has continued to monitor the political developments and activities of all democratic forces and maintained a dialogue with the Coordination Council led by Sviatlana Tsikanouskaya. On 1 March 2023, the Mission of Democratic Belarus was opened in Brussels. Ms Tsikanouskaya has also formed the United Transitional Cabinet, representing to some extent an 'executive-in-exile'.

As a regional parliament, the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) has been a priority for the Democracy Support and Election Coordination Group (DEG) since the last European Parliament legislature, with a special focus on sharing the European Parliament's best practices and working methods in a targeted, in-depth, and structured manner to build in-house capacity more effectively. Following the interest of officeholders appointed in June 2022, the European Parliament relaunched a new capacity building program in October 2023.

On 2-3 October 2023, seminars on impact assessment of legislation and foresight were held for PAP staff with the support of the European Parliament Research Service. Additionally, in November and December 2023, a fellowship was offered to a committee secretariat advisor from PAP, focusing on EU budget-related decision-making processes. During the fellowship, the advisor gained valuable experience working with the secretariats of the committees responsible for the EU Budget, Discharge, and Foreign Affairs.

Since the suspension of the Parliament in July 2021, Tunisia has been encompassed by political instability. In July 2022, the Tunisian people voted in a referendum for a new constitution, while in September 2022 the President adopted a new electoral law, which paved the way for legislative elections in December 2022, with a second round in January 2023. Ahead of these elections, lead Member Emmanuel Maurel visited the country and met with key stakeholders in the election observation and civil society. From this visit a clear perspective of the difficult political and economic situation in the country was attained, informing the political work of the relevant parliamentary organs (inter alia, the AFET committee and Maghreb standing delegation) during 2023. Against this background, all democracy support activities have been frozen until some improvement on the political front is achieved.