On 9 December, SELDI marks International Anti-Corruption Day by underscoring the need for determined and sustained action against corruption and state capture in Southeast Europe. Despite progress in several areas, corruption remains a central obstacle to democratic consolidation, economic resilience, and public trust across the region.
Over the past year, SELDI’s monitoring has shown that political influence over institutions, opaque public spending, and foreign interference continue to challenge governance systems. At the same time, citizens increasingly express frustration with limited results from anti-corruption policies. These trends underline the need for credible reforms that strengthen checks and balances, improve oversight, and curb opportunities for undue influence in public decision-making.
This year’s EU Progress Reports confirm that anti-corruption efforts across the Western Balkans remain uneven. Albania made some progress through stronger high-level anti-corruption results, though preventive systems remain weak. Bosnia and Herzegovina showed no progress, with persistent political obstruction, fragmented institutions, and virtually no final convictions in high-level cases. North Macedonia recorded no progress and continues to face systemic corruption and weakened credibility of oversight bodies. Serbia made only limited progress, marked by declining high-level convictions and increasing pressure on civil society and independent institutions. Montenegro achieved some progress, but enforcement capacities remain insufficient. Kosovo made limited progress, still lacking a coherent anti-corruption strategy and facing slow implementation of key reforms. Collectively, the findings point to fragile reform momentum and the urgent need for sustained political commitment to transparency and accountability.
Tackling entrenched corruption requires more than institutional fixes, it depends on energising citizens and strengthening the actors closest to the problems on the ground. This year, SELDI is deepening this approach by supporting 30 civil society organisations from across the Western Balkans through its small-grants programme. These initiatives mobilise young people, women, local communities, and grassroots groups to monitor institutions, promote transparency, and create practical tools, from digital reporting platforms to community oversight mechanisms. By empowering watchdogs, investigative journalists, and civic initiatives to expose governance risks and advocate for integrity from the bottom up, SELDI helps build the social pressure needed to counter the normalisation of corrupt practices and sustain genuine accountability.
SELDI therefore calls for a renewed regional commitment to closing loopholes that enable political patronage and state capture, strengthening independent oversight bodies, ensuring full transparency in public procurement and state-owned enterprises, and enabling meaningful civic participation in monitoring reforms. Ensuring that EU integration continues to drive accountability and rule-of-law progress remains essential for maintaining reform momentum and aligning governance with citizens’ expectations.
On International Anti-Corruption Day, SELDI reaffirms its dedication to building open, resilient, and accountable societies in Southeast Europe. Countering corruption is not only a policy imperative, it is a shared responsibility that shapes the region’s democratic future, economic opportunities, and citizens’ trust in institutions.
