Brussels Visit: Securing EU support for Western Balkans’ digital alignment

At the end of March, the Citizens’ Association “Why Not” held a series of meetings with EU-based stakeholders to garner interest and support for regional advocacy efforts aimed at ensuring the proper alignment of Western Balkans countries with key EU digital legislation.

Alignment with the Digital Services Act (DSA) has been widely recognized as the Western Balkans’ best opportunity to establish accountability of online platforms, curb dissemination of illegal and harmful content, and create a more robust digital environment with enhanced information integrity in the region. Moreover, synchronized approaches to DSA alignment across the region have been identified as the most effective way to gain leverage over large online platforms, both from market and linguistic perspectives, as well as from the perspective of common risks. “Why not” has been implementing a series of advocacy activities aimed at advancing this goal, within the framework of the IGNITA initiative funded by OSF-WB. These efforts focus on building discourse, raising awareness, and securing support from key stakeholders to ensure effective, timely, and appropriate alignment with the DSA in the region. In particular, the Brussels meetings focused on emphasizing the importance of linking the alignment with EU digital regulations to the obligations of countries in the region within the EU accession process.

We have met with representatives from the European Commission, who expressed strong support for civil society participation in these processes. They also underlined the importance of building the proper institutional capacities for the implementation of future digital legislation, and expressed readiness to support regional stakeholders, particularly through well-established instruments such as TAIEX.

The meetings with European Parliament representatives and advisors underscored the importance of digital policy as a key topic for the Western Balkans region. It was emphasized that digital policy should be interlinked with the EU enlargement process, positioning it as an integral component of the region’s broader integration strategy.

During our visit to Brussels, we also engaged with representatives from the European Economic and Social Committee and the European External Action Service (EEAS) responsible for the Western Balkans. These stakeholders supported the regional approach and agreed that DSA alignment is a vital tool in combating disinformation and other digital harms. Additionally, we held discussions with Brussels-based think tanks and digital rights organizations such as the European Policy Centre (EPC) and European Digital Rights (EDRi), which are crucial partners for civil society organizations from the Western Balkans in shaping and implementing future policies.

In all meetings, we reiterated the importance of elevating this issue within the EU integration process, calling for strong backing from EU institutions to ensure the region’s effective alignment with the DSA.