Roundtable: “Western Balkans Growth Plan: Navigating Digital Integration with the EU”

The Aspen Institute Germany in cooperation with the Kosovar Centre for Security Studies (KCSS) organized an in-person roundtable discussion on the topic “Western Balkans Growth Plan: Navigating Digital Integration with the EU” with Maria Adebahr, Cyber Ambassador, German Federal Foreign Office, and Dr. Ramadan Ilazi, Head of Research, Kosovar Centre for Security Studies (KCSS), moderated by Dr. Stormy-Annika Mildner, Executive Director, Aspen Institute Germany. The event was supported by Open Society Foundations Western Balkans. The European Union (EU) has recently initiated the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, structured around four key pillars. Within the first pillar, “Enhancing Economic Integration with the European Union’s Single Market,” one of the main priorities includes facilitating access to the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) and the Digital Single Market. The Chair’s conclusions from the Tirana Summit Meeting of the Berlin Process, held on October 16, 2023, underscored the necessity for improved communication and coordination with EU law enforcement agencies, specifically highlighting the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) and the EU Cybersecurity Emergency Incident Review Mechanism. Furthermore, the security and geopolitics working group at the Civil Society Forum, convened on October 14-15, 2023 in the framework of the Berlin Process Summit in Tirana, strongly recommended the integration of the Western Balkans 6 (WB6) into ENISA. As the EU moves forward with supporting the deeper and more gradual integration of the Western Balkans into the Digital Single Market and related digital policies and programs, including through the Growth Plan, it would be crucial that the region also becomes part of the mechanisms and policies that bolster cybersecurity and cybersecurity integration. Integration into both ENISA and the EU Cybersecurity Emergency Incident Review Mechanism would be necessary to improve the cyber posture of the WB6, which faces a unique cyber threat landscape. The following questions guided the discussion: How will the Growth Plan facilitate greater integration of the Western Balkans into the EU, especially SEPA and the Digital Single Market, and why is this important? Are the Western Balkans ready? Why is it necessary for the Western Balkans to become part of ENISA, and what are the potential benefits for regional stability and cybersecurity resilience? What would the integration of WB6 into ENISA mean for the EU in terms of cybersecurity, economic stability, and political integration? What can EU member states and the European Commission do to facilitate the integration of WB6 into ENISA?