Released under the banner of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, this publication fulfills one of our priorities: supporting the Western Balkan countries on their path toward EU membership by facilitating reform implementation and strengthening their capacity to manage EU financial instruments.

The publication of the report was made possible thanks to Poland’s close partnership with the OECD. This cooperation is highlighted in the report’s foreword, co-signed by Poland’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Radosław Sikorski, and OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann. The aim of this joint initiative was to assess the degree of economic policy convergence between the candidate countries and EU standards.

Our ambition is for the Scoreboard to become a benchmark for tracking the progress of Western Balkan countries toward EU integration—where reliable indicators and aggregated economic data are just as critical as the alignment of foreign and security policies. This applies to both candidate countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia) and the aspirant country (Kosovo).

Throughout our Presidency of the Council of the EU, the integration of the Western Balkans has remained one of Poland’s top priorities. Our efforts have focused on strengthening economic resilience and prosperity in the region, as well as advancing their EU accession negotiations. In this context, the acceleration of structural reforms across the Western Balkans remains crucial to ensure alignment with the EU acquis.

As part of the accession process, candidate countries are expected to provide reliable data demonstrating the implementation of appropriate policies. The Scoreboard, developed in partnership with the OECD, will serve as a vital tool to identify both the obstacles to faster economic convergence and the key areas in need of deeper reform and more decisive action. We trust the report will prove to be not only a practical tool, but also an effective mechanism for monitoring the impact of public policies and reform measures.

Over the past two decades, Western Balkan countries have made notable progress in narrowing the economic gap with EU member states. However, GDP per capita (adjusted for purchasing power parity) in the region still stands at just 40% of the EU average.

Building on the pilot edition of the report published in 2023, the 2025 Scoreboard assesses and monitors economic performance across 35 indicators grouped into five core areas: (1) infrastructure and connectivity; (2) skills; (3) business environment; (4) digital transformation; (5) green transition.

The report outlines a range of key policy actions that Western Balkan governments should pursue to foster entrepreneurship and market integration. Notably, it highlights the urgent need for increased investment in infrastructure and transport—particularly rail, where the volume of freight per kilometer of railway track is currently just over 4% of the EU average.

To address digital skill shortages and ensure that citizens and businesses can fully benefit from new technologies, the report calls for further investment in education, adult training programs, and strengthened incentives for research and innovation. To meet the region’s environmental goals and commitments, public policies must support more efficient resource use and greater investment in green technologies—especially given that waste generation per unit of GDP is rising, and waste management remains a critical challenge.