The impacts of COVID-19 and consequent supply chain disruptions have driven some companies to bring supply chains closer to production. The global automotive industry is an example. This is an…

To protect vulnerable populations and promote economic growth, policymakers in the Western Balkans should take into account the heterogeneity of inflation rates experienced by different households…

For the Western Balkan countries, aspirations to join the EU mean urgency to align with the bloc’s climate and environmental policy acquis. All six countries—Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina,…

The Balkans often evoke images of conflict and fragmentation. But on the digital front, countries across Southeast Europe are working together to build robust broadband network connecting millions…

Blog about how the global crises and uncertainty are testing the economic resilience of the Western Balkans. And what the governments across the region should consider in order to build greater…

To build on the Utility of the Future program, the World Bank, in partnership with the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), is establishing the Utility of the Future Center of…

The Western Balkan countries need to remain vigilant about the impact of climate change on their financial sectors by prioritizing green taxonomies, promoting prudential management of climate and…

In a striking example, Albania has shown how the tourism sector can drive economic development. Following the country’s turbulent economic and political transition in the 1990s, tourism was…

Just as the economies of the Western Balkans were looking to sustain a recovery from the shock of COVID-19, the region now faces a new combination of challenges. The war in Ukraine, the resulting…

In Albania, municipalities are on the frontline when it comes to disaster risk management. Addressing the resource and information gaps is therefore essential to protecting lives and public…