S-1909 : Still Just a Bill

The Western Balkans Democracy and Prosperity Act aims to strengthen democratic institutions, promote economic development, and counter malign foreign influence in the Western Balkans region, which includes Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia.

Key provisions of the bill include:

• **Economic Development and Trade Initiatives:**
  • Requires a 5-year strategy for regional economic development and democratic resilience, including efforts to increase U.S. trade and investment, support clean energy, and develop human capacity.
  • Authorizes a Regional Trade and Development Initiative to foster private sector growth, promote intraregional and international trade, support startups (especially those led by women and youth), and facilitate critical infrastructure projects like transportation, trusted telecommunications, and energy security to reduce dependence on Russian sources.
  • Encourages the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation to consider a regional office for the Western Balkans and report on sovereign loan guarantees and insurance products for infrastructure and energy diversification.
• **Governance and Anti-Corruption:**
  • Mandates an Anti-Corruption Initiative to expand technical assistance, provide training to law enforcement and judicial institutions, strengthen national anti-corruption strategies, and promote independent media.
  • Codifies existing U.S. sanctions under Executive Orders 13219 and 14033 against individuals threatening stability in the Western Balkans, allowing for Presidential waiver or termination under specific conditions, and includes exceptions for humanitarian assistance and intelligence activities.
• **Cybersecurity and Information Environment:**
  • Expresses a Sense of Congress that U.S. support for cybersecurity and cyber resilience is vital for the region's defense against malicious cyber activity and for safeguarding democratic processes.
  • Requires an interagency report on current U.S. efforts to strengthen cybersecurity and cyber resilience, review the information environment, assess cyber threat information sharing, and identify options for enhanced U.S. support.
• **Cross-Cultural and Educational Engagement:**
  • Authorizes assistance to promote partnerships between U.S. universities and those in the Western Balkans to facilitate academic exchanges, research, and skills development.
  • Expands the "BOLD Leadership Program" into a "Young Balkan Leaders Initiative" to support professional development, training, and networking for young leaders (ages 18-35) in areas like entrepreneurship, civic engagement, and good governance, and calls for a flagship public engagement and leadership center.
  • Requests a report on opportunities for Peace Corps expansion in the Western Balkans.
• **Regional Stability and Foreign Influence:**
  • Affirms U.S. support for the Agreement on the Path to Normalization between Kosovo and Serbia, urging immediate progress on its implementation and a comprehensive final agreement based on mutual recognition.
  • Establishes U.S. policy against advocating for land swaps, partition, or redrawing borders along ethnic lines in the Western Balkans, emphasizing support for pluralistic democracies.
  • Requires biennial reports on Russian and Chinese malign influence operations and campaigns in the Western Balkans, assessing their objectives, tactics, and U.S. countermeasures.
  • Expresses a Sense of Congress supporting the expeditious accession of eligible Western Balkans countries to the European Union and NATO, and calls for strengthened security posture in Bosnia and Herzegovina.