Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD)’s locally led teams in Western Balkan countries have delivered significant impact across the region, strengthening democratic institutions and practices through strategic partnerships. Here are our key achievements in each country in the last year:

Albania

Enhancing parliamentary oversight

WFD successfully piloted and institutionalised a Post-Legislative Scrutiny (PLS) methodology in the Albanian Parliament. This approach is now independently used to assess the effectiveness of legislation, enhancing parliamentary accountability. A corruption-proofing methodology established by WFD has led to reviews and changes to key laws in Albania. 

Strengthening political party procedures

WFD assisted political parties in strengthening internal rules and procedures to combat malign and corrupt influences with four major political parties making significant progress in reforming their procedures.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Reducing hate political speech

Ahead of the 2024 local elections, WFD helped reduce hate speech and polarising rhetoric by supporting parties to implement codes of conduct and encouraging voters to report harmful rhetoric. New research on the economic impact of hate speech is now widely used in political and civil society debates.

Building cross-party cooperation

WFD facilitated cross-party cooperation that achieved citizen-focused outcomes, including the unanimous adoption of an employment strategy and joint advocacy for improved maternity benefits across the country.

Montenegro

Strengthening women's political participation

An action plan for the Women MPs Club was adopted with WFD support, prioritising actions against violence toward women in politics and addressing financing for women's party wings. WFD also created a community bringing together key stakeholders to develop practical solutions to address violence against women in politics.

Improving financial accountability

WFD facilitated dialogue between Parliament and the State Audit Institution, resulting in a concrete roadmap for improvement, including new procedures for acting on audit reports.

North Macedonia

Strengthening accountability

Cooperation between the State Audit Office, Prosecutors Office, and Parliament has led to significantly improved follow-up on audit findings. Eight political parties engaged with WFD's Political Party Transparency Index, all showing progress in internal democracy and financial openness.

Empowering young people in democratic processes

WFD supported the establishment of the Young MPs Club for the third parliamentary cohort. Additionally, the WFD-supported Parliamentary Volunteers Programme provided 20 young people with valuable theoretical and practical experience in parliamentary work.

Serbia

Maintaining dialogue in a polarised environment

Despite political polarisation, WFD maintained trusted relationships with institutions, enabling dialogue on critical issues including representation, violence, and political participation.

Amplifying youth voices in the institutions

WFD launched the Parliamentorship Initiative to foster greater institutional and parliamentary participation among young people. In cooperation with government agencies, WFD helped reform the state Talent Fund which supports the educational development of young people in Serbia.

These achievements demonstrate WFD's commitment to strengthening democratic values, inclusive politics, and accountable governance across the Western Balkans. 

“Societies flourish and prosper when systems deliver for everyone. Citizens are more willing to work together for the greater good, in stable, secure, and peaceful coexistence. This is why WFD in the Western Balkans is focusing efforts on creating partnerships and fostering dialogue that will ensure political systems are accountable, transparent, and representative”, says Damir Neziri, Deputy Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia region.