EU–Western Balkans: New Action Plan 2025–2030 to prevent and counter terrorism and violent extremism

EU–Western Balkans: New Action Plan 2025–2030 to prevent and counter terrorism and violent extremism.

Sarajevo, October 30, 2025 – The European Union structurally strengthens cooperation with the Western Balkans on internal security by launching a new Joint Action Plan on preventing and countering terrorism and violent extremismThe signature took place on the margin of the EU–Western Balkans Ministerial Forum on Justice and Home Affairs in Sarajevo.

"The Western Balkans are not only our neighbors, but are destined to become members of the European Union. By signing the Joint Action Plan, we are taking another step towards deepening our security cooperation," he said. Magnus Bruner, Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration.

The new plant is designed to anticipate threats, react to the hostile and hybrid actors, to face the online radicalization, organized crime and the use abusive use of emerging technologies (drones, crypto-assets, artificial intelligence), strengthening the resilience of European societies.

From the 2018 cooperation to the new 2025–2030 season

Il Action Plan 2018 It marked the start of systematic cooperation on five objectives: legislative alignment, prevention (Prevent/PCVE), information exchange and operational cooperation with Europol/Eurojust, countering terrorist financing, and protecting critical infrastructure and public spaces.

Il new Plan 2025–2030 maintains the same architecture, the strengthens , projects up to December 2030, incorporating lessons learned and new risk vectors (online terrorist content, generative AI, cryptofinance, drone threats) and foresees measurable national roadmaps, periodic monitoring and closer integration with European mechanisms (Europol, Eurojust, CEPOL, IISG).

The five key areas of the new Plan

1) Institutional framework and legislative alignment

Western Balkan partners will:

• Aligning criminal law to the Directive (EU) 2017/541 on terrorism: definitions of crimes, offences related to terrorist groups and terrorist activities, as well as specific protections for victims of terrorist crimes, in accordance with the Victims' Rights Directive.
• Receive and apply il Regulation (EU) 2021 / 784 on terrorist content online (TCO) and create operational capabilities dedicated to the detection, reporting and removal of content, with streamlined referral procedures by law enforcement.
• Align with the API/PNR framework for the collection and use of travel data, improving the identification of individuals at risk and cross-border investigative links.
• Establish national threat assessment mechanisms that integrate all the relevant agencies and feed a annual regional report on the Europol TE-SAT model, supported by a regional network of analysts.

This update builds on the foundations laid in 2018, when the EU had already asked its partners to align regulatory frameworks to European and international standards (UN, Council of Europe, FATF), to equip themselves with Prevent strategies and action plans and to strengthen coordination and resources for PCVE coordinators.

2) Prevention and Countering Violent Extremism (PCVE)

The new setting focuses on a “whole of society” approach: central institutions, local authorities, schools, social and health services, law enforcement agencies, religious communities and civil society must work in synergy:

• National-local structures for prevention, with PCVE coordinators acting as a “bridge” between strategy and territorial operations;
• In-Prison and Post-Release Programs to prevent radicalisation and recidivism, with multi-agency platforms including municipalities and social services;
• Counter-narratives and strategic communication also targeted at diasporas, to counter disinformation and extremist propaganda;
• media literacy and digital resilience for young people, preventing online radicalization;
• Monitoring the links between ethno-nationalism, violent right-wing extremism, hooliganism and organised crime, with a focus on youth recruitment;
• TCO Monitoring Unit in law enforcement, trained and equipped for effective referrals and removals.

Already in 2018, the EU had promoted multi-agency approaches, community-based prevention, management of foreign terrorist fighters and anti-radicalization measures in prison, with the support of RAN, ESCN and Europol EU IRU.

3) Information exchange and operational cooperation

The new Plan calls for a leap in quality:

• Proactive use of channels and instruments Europol (SIENA/CT-SIENA, ECTC, large dataset analysis, operational task forces, mobile office, travel intelligence), participation in Referral Action Days on terrorist content in local languages ​​and cooperation with EU IRU;
• Real-time mechanisms for the internal circulation of information between national agencies (security and police), avoiding fragmentation and information blindness;
• Judicial cooperation strengthened with Eurojust: information exchange, coordination of investigations and trials, use of JIT (joint investigative teams), training on international standards and fundamental rights.

These advances are the natural extension of the 2018 lines, which already required Liaison with Europol/Eurojust, roll-out di (CT) SIENA, more solid contributions to the TE-SAT and trade with Interpol (FTF, lost/stolen documents).

4) Terrorist financing and unwanted foreign funds

The 2025–2030 Plan introduces a dual approach:

• AML/CFT Alignment across the board: EU Anti-Money Laundering Directives, criminalization of the ML/TF, transparency of the beneficial owner, Regulation 2023/1113 on transfers of funds and crypto-assets, new Directive 2024/1260 on recovery and confiscation, strengthening of FIUs, "follow the money” systematic in every terrorism investigation.
• Undesirable Foreign Funding: raising awareness of external financial flows that can fuel radicalization and polarization; adopting measures to increase transparency e to monitor NPOs at risk, without compromising the legitimate work of the third sector.

They were already planned in 2018 AML/CFT legal framework, FIUs equipped, freezing according to UN resolutions and regional cooperation on terrorist financing, with support from CEPOL and operational plans on criminal finance and money laundering.

5) Protection of critical infrastructure and public spaces

“Physical” and “digital” protection are combined with system resilience:

• Alignment with Directive (EU) 2022/2557 on resilience of critical entities: national strategies, risk assessment of 11 sectors, identification of critical operators, training and creation of dedicated professional communities;
• Protection of public spaces: safety “by design”, awareness of management bodies and citizens, multi-agency exercises and protocols, attention to minorities and vulnerable groups;
• Threats from UAS/drones: counter-UAS capabilities to prevent malicious uses;
• Firearms and explosive precursors: implementation of the SALW roadmap 2025–2030, participation in EMPACT e alignment al Regulation (EU) 2019 / 1148;
• International coordination with actors like NATO, OSCE, UNDP-SEESAC to avoid overlaps and maximize impact.

In 2018, the EU had already called for raising standards on protection of public spaces, cyber, CBRNMore, explosive precursors and illicit trafficking of small arms, with national focal points and greater information exchange at the border.

ProtectEU and the new governance of internal security

The political-strategic context is the one outlined by the European Internal Security Strategy. In a scenario of hybrid threats on the rise, criminal networks expanding and migration of crime online, the EU promotes a cultural change in safety: involve citizens, businesses, researchers, civil society, integrate the dimension of security-by-design in new initiatives and build a European governance that supports the implementation and monitoring of policies.

"Being safe is a fundamental prerequisite for open and dynamic societies and a prosperous economy. We will strengthen Europol and equip law enforcement authorities with modern tools. But researchers, businesses, and citizens can also contribute to greater safety for all," he said. Ursula von der Leyen.

"Security is a prerequisite for democracy and prosperity. The EU must be bold and proactive in the face of complex challenges: we will strengthen capabilities, leverage technology, strengthen cybersecurity, and counter threats," he added. Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice President for Technology Sovereignty, Security and Democracy.

Implementation, monitoring and milestones

The 2025–2030 Plan introduces a measurable policy cycle:

• National Roadmaps within three months of signing, with indicators e start within six months;
• Monitoring means IISG (or successor), annual reports of the partners, regional networks (PCVE coordinators and analysts), regular dialogues EU–WB;
• EU–Western Balkans Ministerial Forum on JHA as the headquarters of political address and progress monitoring.

What's really changing: five substantial differences compared to 2018

1. Extended time horizon (2030) e roadmap national with indicators → from “project-based” cooperation to a structured programming.
2. Digital dimension in the center: TCO, IA, crypto-assets, API/PNR they become cross-cutting priorities of counterterrorism policies.
3. Regional network of analysts e regional TE-SAT report → analytical capacity building e anticipation threats, not just reaction.
4. Undesirable Foreign Funding → monitoring of potentially destabilizing external financial flows, with balancing between of your digital ecosystem. e civic space.
5. Critical entities resilience e counter-UAS → updated focus on infrastructure e public spaces in light of emerging technological threats.

Expected impact for Western Balkan partners

• Greater interoperability with the EU security architecture (Europol/Eurojust/CEPOL), reducing procedural and technological gaps;
• Investigative skills enhance on online content, illicit finance, weaponry, cross-border movements;
• Systemic resilience of infrastructure and public spaces, with a risk-based approach and a community of professionals;
• Prevention more widespread thanks to national-local structures, prison programs, counter-narrative e digital literacy.

Fundamental rights, gender and the rule of law

The 2025–2030 Plan expressly calls for the integration of human rights and gender perspective in anti-terrorism policies: differentiated assessments in proceedings involving women returning from conflict zones, data protection in the investigative stages, protections in detention and training for law enforcement on approaches gender-sensitive in line with CEDAW e UNSCR 1325.

This represents an important evolution compared to 2018, when the emphasis was primarily on legal alignment, cooperation, and operational tools.

The political framework

Announced in the Commission's political guidelines and included in the broader plan which includes theUnion of preparation, White Paper on European Defence and the future European Shield for Democracy, the new strategy aims at aSecure and resilient union in all respects. In this framework, cooperation with the Western Balkans is not only a technical chapter of justice and home affairs, but a piece of the enlargement and the progressive integration of regional partners into the European security ecosystem.

With the company Action Plan 2025–2030, EU and Western Balkans make a qualitative leap: from thematic coordination to building a single safety culture, founded on anticipation, prevention, reliable technology, judicial and police cooperation, infrastructure resilience e company involvement.

As he summarized Magnus Bruner, is a “mission of the moment”, which requires a change of mentality: just one shared security It can ensure freedom and prosperity in a Europe faced with new and changing threats.