Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) has the pleasure to present the second edition of Security Barometer Survey (#SecuriMeter). The publication was compiled based on the results of a comprehensive survey commissioned by the RCC on attitudes, experiences and perceptions of the general public in the Western Balkans concerning the security situation, and also in the context of the implementation of the Common Regional Market (CRM) 2021–2024 agenda.

Being the only instrument that measures sentiments related to security, SecuriMeter has become a valuable resource in developing policies on the individual economy and on regional level as well as contributing to monitoring their effects and impact in the security environment of the Western Balkans.

The perceptions revealed through the SecuriMeter complement other data on quantitative and qualitative indicators being collected by the Balkan Barometer but also data collected by public administrations and regional and international partners. This provides a comprehensive overview of security challenges, and citizens’ needs and perceptions, and provides a fact–based context to the WB authorities that will help shaping the future legal and institutional interventions needed to address such challenges.

As in the last year’s report, the added value of this particular survey lies in the fact that it was conducted in coordination with and full participation of the regionally owned organisations such as Regional Anti–Corruption Initiative (RAI), Migration, Asylum, Refugees Regional Initiative (MARRI), South Eastern and Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SEESAC), Disaster Preparedness and Prevention Initiative (DPPI–SEE) and the Integrative Internal Security Governance (IISG) as a standalone project within the Regional Cooperation Council. Contributions were received also from the Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT).

Compared to the 2021 report, this year’s questionnaire has been slightly amended to introduce new while dropping some of the questions used in the previous survey. An anti–corruption chapter has been introduced acknowledging the potential of corruption to pose a significant threat to security and stability in the region, thus offering an adequate view of citizens’ perceptions on the need to implement effective anti–corruption models and mechanisms. A set of questions related to domestic violence has been introduced this year. In addition, questions related to other existing chapters have been amended to properly capture the most–pressuring security challenges of our region and pave the way to designing effective policies.