Publications

This concise policy brief explores how the EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act intersects with political tensions, environmental risks, and local resistance in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The paper analyses key pitfalls, governance deficits, and strategic dilemmas, and outlines practical steps for the EU to rebuild trust, support reforms, and engage communities in shaping sustainable raw material partnerships.

A comprehensive analysis of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s growing role in the EU’s search for critical raw materials, this report maps current mining projects, examines environmental and socio-economic risks, and highlights how weak governance and geopolitical pressure shape extractive practices. It offers actionable recommendations for ensuring that any future mining aligns with community rights, environmental protection, and EU standards.

In June 2025, the European Commission approved the Jadar lithium and boron mining project in Serbia, led by Rio Tinto, as a “Strategic Project” under the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA). Although the decision does not constitute an official environmental consent, it implies full alignment with EU’s environmental, social, and governance standards. However, the realities on the ground in Serbia paint a contrasting picture marked by emocratic decline, weakened environmental governance, and broad societal opposition.

This factsheet highlights how the Western Balkans (WB) can strengthen European defence readiness, both in terms of operational delivery and industrial capacity, provided they are integrated in EU’s policy thinking and key existing and emerging initiatives.

The report “Europe’s Overlooked Allies: Why the Western Balkans Matter for EU Defence Readiness” explores the strategic importance of the Western Balkans in the context of the European Union’s pursuit of strategic autonomy and enhanced defence readiness. The report argues that, despite not yet being EU member states, Western Balkan countries have increasingly demonstrated their value as security contributors and partners. This role is both timely and essential as the EU faces the consequences of the war in Ukraine and potential shifts in the transatlantic security relationship.

With war raging on the European Union’s eastern border and the bloc seeking to redefine its geopolitical identity, another political transformation is unfolding within: the growing influence of radical right and Eurosceptic parties. Once largely marginalised actors, these forces are now increasingly reshaping Europe’s political priorities from within national parliaments and Brussels. This report takes stock of the growing influence of radical right and Eurosceptic political forces within the EU and examines the implications for EU enlargement policy. By shedding light on the developments in several EU member states, this report aims to map the challenges that these dynamics are likely to pose for the rejuvenated momentum on EU enlargement…

This factsheet provides a condensed outline on how the growing influence of radical right and Eurosceptic parties is reshaping EU politics—and what this means for the future of EU enlargement.