Western Balkans stability and progress a major British interest - Lords International Relations Committee

The UK has a long history of engagement in the region and this engagement must continue. It is in our national interest to sustain commitments to the Western Balkan region and, more broadly, to European security post-Brexit. The UK Government hosting the Western Balkans Summit later this year is an encouraging sign of a continued commitment.

The Western Balkans, coming from such a tragic past, has made significant progress in the last 20 years. But with the potential for renewed dangers, both within and outside the area, there is no room for complacency from the UK or our international partners. While the immediate danger of all-out conflict is remote, the lack of political progress, the deep problems of nationalism, and a failure to face up to the past and endemic corruption make the region prone to insecurity.

The Committee's report makes the following observations and recommendations:

• That strong British involvement in the region must continue, both in our national interest and as part of our deep and continued commitment to European security and close cooperation with other EU states.
• That the prospect of Brexit is having an impact in the region. To counter it will require a strong re-affirmation of British commitment.
• The UK must continue to conduct sustained, coordinated and consistent engagement along with its international partners, particularly international institutions on the ground, to protect the progress made since the terrible wars of the 1990s.
• Such engagement will require new ways of coordinating and cooperating with the EU and its Member States. The 2018 Western Balkans Summit in London sends out a clear message of support for the people of the region and should be used as an opportunity to set out how the UK will engage with the region after Brexit.
• The Committee agrees with the Government's support of countries in the region having membership of NATO and the EU as their goals, and efforts to overcome the obstacles to those aims.
• The clearly destabilising influences of outside powers in the region, notably Russia, must be firmly and persistently countered.
• The domestic priorities for countries in the region, which the UK must support, include entrenching strong institutions of democracy, combatting state capture and restrictions on the freedom of expression, tackling organised crime and corruption, managing migration through and from the region, and creating welcoming business environments.

Chairman of the Committee Lord Howell of Guildford said:

“The UK must continue to engage with partners in the EU and internationally to promote stability and democratic reform in the Western Balkans; that is in everyone's interests. We welcome the Government's decision to host the Western Balkans Summit this year and will look to it as a symbol of the commitment of the Government to the region even after the UK leaves the European Union.”