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Driven by social, economic and technological changes, labour markets are becoming more flexible in the European Union and its neighbourhing countries. This translates into growth in novel employment relationships, which differ from 'traditional work' in terms of working conditions, content, and regulatory and legal ramifications. Conducted between November 2021 and May 2022, the ETF's research focused on new forms of employment, including platform work, and the implications on youth employment policies and skills development. The analysis covered six Western Balkan countries, namely Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia.

This report is based on the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency's evaluation of the first final project reports of the first generation of CBHE projects selected for funding in 2015. Altogether 138 projects were funded in 2015 and 88 finalised projects have submitted their final reports in 2019, among which 15 were implemented in the Western Balkans. The report's results are therefore based on a relatively small sample of finalised CBHE projects and are to be considered as preliminary and to be reviewed at a later stage. The analyses takes also into account the institutional monitoring visits and cluster meetings that were organised by the Agency as part of its monitoring strategy. The report is analysing the role of the CBHE action as regards the impact and sustainability of the funded projects together with their inclusiveness (participants with disadvantaged backgrounds and fewer opportunities compared to their peers). More specifically, the report will look into the institutional development of HEIs (HEI), their modernisation of study programmes and their teaching and learning methodologies, structural reforms and the strengthening of HEI's technical capacities. It will zoom into the opportunities created for individuals (students, academic and administrative staff) and third parties like enterprises, chambers of commerce, etc. The report will also examine how the EU projects have influenced national policy developments in the education sector, mainly but not exclusively through 'Structural Projects'. Special attention is given to the strengthening of regional cooperation through CBHE projects that include two or more countries from the same Region. Finally, the analyses will be used to identify challenges and provide a set of recommendations for future reference.

This study examines the provision of continuing professional development for vocational teachers and trainers across the seven countries that make up the region of the Western Balkans and Turkey. The study aims to inform policy makers and responsible agencies about the extent and character of provision but also to reveal how this provision is shaped and contextualised by the regulations and institutions that underpin it in each country.

The attached descriptions of higher education systems in the Tempus partner countries provide a tool for those who are either planning or already carrying out projects within Tempus. This document forms part of a series of four publications which have been produced for each of the regions covered by Tempus. The descriptions have been drafted by the national Tempus offices in the partner countries, in cooperation with the national authorities and the EU delegations. The collection of data on the implementation of the Bologna process was carried out in close collaboration with Eurydice, the network on education systems and policies in Europe. The overall exercise was managed by the Tempus unit of the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency. The descriptions consist of a general presentation of the higher education system in each country, information on current challenges and trends, information on the implementation of the Bologna process and on the participation in the Tempus and Erasmus Mundus programmes. They provide a snapshot of the situation in 2010, but it should be kept in mind that reality evolves at a high speed and that the constant developments in higher education cannot be reflected in these documents. Individual sections contain bibliographical references and websites. (Contains 21 footnotes.)

Parliaments have a unique role in ensuring that adopted laws, regardless of who initiated them, are evidence-based and fit-for-purpose. For the executive branch, laws are vital instruments through which they deliver public policy. Governments therefore rely on parliaments to scrutinise and adopt legislation in a timely, wellplanned and co-ordinated manner. Parliamentary scrutiny of government lawmaking and its role in ex post evaluation of law implementation helps the legislature hold the executive to account. Evidence-based lawmaking is especially critical to EU integration processes as they involve adoption of many new laws. This paper reviews how laws are planned, initiated, prepared, scrutinised and evaluated by the parliaments of six Western Balkan administrations. The report discusses the concept of lawmaking within a parliamentary system of government. It considers how parliaments and governments co-operate and co-ordinate their legislative activities throughout the lawmaking cycle, providing a comparative analysis of existing rules and procedures as well as lawmaking practices. A set of key findings and policy recommendations are provided to support the Western Balkan administrations to plan and implement future reforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on public accounting reforms in the Western Balkans and European Neighbourhood, particularly the implementation of accrual-based accounting systems that meet the requirements of International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS). Topics include how the reforms promise increased transparency, decision making, and higher accountability; and how resources mandatory by the European Commission support budget execution reports and fiscal indicators, such as budget deficit.

For Brexiters, the notion of the 'transformative power' of the EU must sound either romantically naive or completely fanatical. Yet for the countries of the Western Balkans, the prospect of [...]

The Prince of Wales called on the Western Balkans region to work on reconciliation and not to become 'prisoners of history' in a speech in the Serbian parliament on March [...]

EU leaders agreed on March 7 that irregular migration along the so-called Western Balkans route has come to an end, as they hammered out a draft agreement with Turkey. However, [...]

The Enterprise Expansion Fund (ENEF) is expected to make six new investments in the near future, a European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) official told bne IntelliNews on October [...]

The International Monetary Fund's latest World Economic Outlook released on April 12 forecasts steady growth of more than 3% for the Southeast Europe region between 2016 and 2021, outstripping most [...]

Subnational governments play a significant role in ensuring good public governance. The way that they are organised and function has a direct impact on the economic and social well-being of citizens and public trust in government. This report presents the system of multi-level government in the six Western Balkan economies, comparing them both with one another and in the context of broader international trends in multi-level governance. The report covers territorial and institutional organisation, competences of local governments, human resources and accountability, public financial management and vertical and horizontal co-ordination, in each case identifying key characteristics and recent trends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents forecasts for the business environment in the Western Balkans. Accession to the European Union (EU) is expected to remain a crucial factor for the improvement of the business environments in the sub-region. Countries in the Western Balkans will remain highly competitive in terms of labor costs as they are five times lower than in Hungary and Poland but businesses will continue to face the issue of judicial independence.

The article discusses the European Union's (EU) membership expansion in the region of Western Balkans. The hopes for EU accession at a fast pace in the region have been crushed by a European Commission's (EC) report. The EC report has confirmed that expectations for EU accession are growing in the Western Balkans. The report, however, has called for brakes on future expansion. Among the Balkan states, only Croatia is poised to be included in the EU in recent future.

The article focuses on the growing expectations of the European Commission in the Western Balkans. A period of slowdown is being forecasted in the European Union in 2007. The membership of Croatia in the Union is expected to be secured for 2010-2012. It cites the approaches that should be taken by Balkan states to prepare itself for European Union integration.

The article revisits the outlook for Western Balkan countries which include Croatia, Macedonia and Serbia as a number of events unfolded since the beginning of spring 2011. It forecasts growth in the Western Balkans to average 4.3% and cites a more attractive economic growth trajectory in the area than that of the eurozone and CE-4 countries which include Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic. It indicates that the infrastructure sectors offer the best opportunities for investment and growth.

A country report for Croatia is presented from publisher S&P global, with topics including economic growth, reunification efforts, and political structure.

A country report for Croatia is presented from publisher S&P Global, with topics including economic data and forecasts, analysis of government stability, and business environment.

A country report for South East Europe countries, including Albania, is presented from publisher BMI, with topics including economic growth, reunification efforts, and political structure.

A country report for South East Europe is presented, from publisher Fitch Solutions Group Ltd. with topics including forecast of economic growth in North Macedonia; gross domestic product (GDP) in Serbia and Negative Wealth in Turkey.

A country report for Central Europe & Baltic States is presented, from publisher Fitch Solutions Group Ltd. with topics including forecast of gross domestic product (GDP) in Romania; economic growth in Serbia and economic policy of Lithuania.

A country report for emerging markets is presented from Business Monitor International (BMI), with topics including implication of the official composite purchasing managers' index (PMI) for July 2024, increase in Czech gross domestic product (GDP) growth from the first quarter of 2024 to second quarter of 2024, and expectation on Israel's budget deficit in 2025.

This publication presents a comparative analysis of the Local and Regional Government (LRG) sector workforce in five European countries: Croatia, Germany, Greece, Spain, and Sweden. Despite variations in governance models and industrial relations, commonalities emerge, such as the LRG sector's significance in the national public sector, a predominant female workforce, and strong organization within social dialogue and collective bargaining systems. Governance structures influence LRG workforce size, with Croatia and Greece displaying highly centralized administrations, while Spain, Sweden, and Germany showcase stronger LRG-level administrations. Notably, LRG workers constitute a substantial portion of public sector employment across all five countries. The gender pay gap is lower in the public sector than the private sector, declining over time. Diverging historical trends in LRG sector size are observed, with increases in Germany, Spain, and Sweden, while Greece experienced a decline linked to austerity measures. The study highlights variations in labour regimes. Training rights for LRG workers lack legal provisions in all countries except Spain, where it is included in collective bargaining. LRG workers benefit from a strong right to association, union representation, social dialogue traditions, and extensive collective bargaining coverage. Trade union presence is higher in the LRG sector compared to the private sector. Legal rights to strike exist for LRG workers in all countries except for German civil servants in the sector. While the ratification of the ILO Violence and Harassment Convention (No.190) is limited, all five countries have enacted national and EU legislation against workplace discrimination and harassment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A country report for Austria is presented from publisher MarketLine, with topics including economic growth, PESTLE Analysis, and political structure.

The article focuses on Great Britain's House of Lords that track record of using the Western Balkans Chevening Scholarship Programme to influence and help deliver policy objectives. It also mentions that each project is independently evaluated to measure improvement in girls' literacy, numeracy and other metrics as a result of the Dept. for International Development (DFID) funding.