converge2eu

converge2eu is a collaborative initiative that aims to track and support the Western Balkans’ economic, social and institutional convergence with the EU. Unlike the usual technical discussions on convergence, which focus on formal accession criteria, we take a different approach – we focus on how people in the region actually live, and how that compares with the lives of EU citizens.

The project tracks indicators across eight key areas of life – from economic and social affairs, through health, education and the environment, to governance, digitalisation and infrastructure – in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia, and compares these to the EU average.

At its core is the interactive dashboard, featured on this website, which visualises the state of play across these eight areas. The dashboard draws on a comprehensive database that can also be downloaded here. These tools feed into annual reports for each economy and for the region as a whole, featuring scenario analyses for EU accession and tailored policy recommendations. Based on this, a comprehensive advocacy component will turn evidence into action by urging EU and Western Balkans policymakers to take measures and adopt reforms that accelerate convergence, close persistent gaps, and tangibly improve citizens’ lives.

The project is coordinated by the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (Austria) and Think Europe (Slovenia), and implemented together with partners from the six Western Balkan countries: Dritan Shano (Albania), Centre for Policy and Governance (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Riinvest Institute (Kosovo), Institut Alternativa (Montenegro), Association for Research and Analysis (ZMAI) (North Macedonia) and Institute for Development and Innovation (Serbia). It is supported by the Open Society Foundation – Western Balkans.