At today’s EU-Western Balkans Ministerial Forum on Justice and Home affairs, the representatives of the six Western Balkans partners and, for the EU, Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos, signed a Joint Action Plan on Counter-Terrorism for the Western Balkans. This achievement marks a big step forward for our common security and for the protection of our citizens.

The Joint Action Plan delivers on the Western Balkans Strategy and the Sofia Declaration of 17 May and steps up joint work on counter-terrorism. It builds on the outcomes of the EU’s high-level counter-terrorism visits in the region, and on the enlargement and association processes.

The result is a robust, joint framework for countering terrorism, calling for ambitious and concrete actions to achieve five counter-terrorism objectives, including the prevention and countering of radicalisation, effective information exchange, the combatting of terrorist financing and the protection of citizens.

The Commission will follow-up with each Western Balkans partner on tailor-made priority actions. It will involve existing and emerging networks of cooperation, such as the new Regional Network of Coordinators for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism.