The RAN in the Western Balkans project aims to support the prevention of radicalisation in the region and to enhance synergies between EU and Western Balkans professionals, in line with EU Policy.
The project foresees the organisation of training sessions, workshops and study visits around themes such as the management of returning Foreign Terrorist Fighters and their family members and Violent Right-wing Extremism (VRWE). The project aims to map practitioners working in the WB region in the field of P/CVE, as well as to establish an expert pool.
The first foreseen meeting is a webinar on the management of returning Foreign Terrorist Fighters and their family members just before summer. Calls for participants for this event and future events as well as any other news are published on this website.
Background and Funding
The RAN in the Western Balkans project implements a number of priorities set out in the Joint Action Plan on Counter-Terrorism for the Western Balkans, which was signed between the European Commission and representatives of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia in October 2018.
The Joint Action Plan outlines five objectives:
- A Robust Framework for Countering Terrorism and Preventing/Countering Violent Extremism;
- Effective Prevention and Countering of Violent Extremism;
- Effective Information Exchange and Operational Cooperation;
- Build Capacity to Combat Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing;
- Strengthen the Protection of Citizens and Infrastructure.
Following the signature of the Joint Action Plan, six Bilateral Implementing Arrangements were signed with each Western Balkan partner in 2019.
With a budget of EUR 1.55 million, the RAN in the Western Balkans project is funded under the Instrument for Pre-Accession (IPA II) by DG NEAR.
For more information on the project and the Joint Action Plan:
Papers
In previous years, several RAN papers have already been translated and published in regional WB languages:
- Violent Extremism and Sports in the Western Balkans, December 2023
- Enhancing collaboration between law enforcement and other stakeholders in P/CVE, October 2023
- Taking Stock of Approaches to Counter Hate Speech in the Western Balkans, September 2023
- RAN in the WBs Study Visit - Management of Returnee Foreign Terrorist Fighters and their Family Members, Berlin 28-29 April 2022
- RAN in the Western Balkans Study Visit - Managing the Needs of Child Returnees, Paris 09-10 May 2023
- Online Radicalisation in the Western Balkans: Trends and Responses, August 2023
- RAN in the Western Balkans - Online radicalisation and P/CVE approaches in the Western Balkans, 16 June 2022
- RAN in the Western Balkans National Small-Scale Meeting - Supporting families left behind, Sarajevo 17-18 October 2022
- Dealing with returned women in the Western Balkans: challenges and opportunities from a practitioner’s perspective, August 2022 (also available in: Albanian | Macedonian | Serbian.)
- Violent Right-Wing Extremism in the Western Balkans, July 2022 (also available in: Albanian | Macedonian | Serbian.)
- RAN in the Western Balkans, Working with violent extremist or terrorist offenders along the prison-exit continuum, online meeting 30 March 2022 (also available in: Albanian | Macedonian | Serbian.)
- RAN in the Western Balkans – Preventing and countering VRWE in the Western Balkans, Skopje 28-29 June 2022 (also available in: Albanian | Macedonian | Serbian.)
- RAN in the Western Balkans, CSOs engaging in the prevention and countering of ethno-nationalism and violent right-wing extremism Belgrade, 24-25 March 2022 (also available in: Albanian | Macedonian | Serbian.)
- RAN in the Western Balkans, P/CVE Work with Religious Communities and Faith-based Organisations, Skopje 21-22 October 2021 (also available in French and German)
- RAN YF&C The role of youth work in the prevention of radicalisation and violent extremism, Vienna 06-07 December 2017 (also available in: Albanian | Macedonian | Serbian.)
- RAN Handbook on CVE/PVE training programmes, Guidance for trainers and policy-makers, December 2017 (also available in: Albanian | Macedonian | Serbian.)
- RAN EXIT and P&P The role of religion in exit programmes and religious counselling in prison and probation settings, Madrid 10-11 October 2017 (also available in: French | German | Albanian | Macedonian | Serbian.)
- Manual ‘Responses to returnees: Foreign terrorist fighters and their families’, July 2017
- RAN POL The role of police officers in dealing with jihadist returnees, Düsseldorf 30-31 March 2017 (also available in: Albanian | Macedonian | Serbian.)
- RAN EDU Guide on training programmes ‘Effective and confident teachers and other school staff’, Helsinki 01-02 March 2017 (also available in: Albanian | Macedonian | Serbian.)
- RAN YF&C and RAN H&SC Working with families and safeguarding children from radicalisation, Nice 02-03 February 2017 (also available in: Albanian | Macedonian | Serbian.)
- RAN P&P Approaches to violent extremist offenders and countering radicalisation in prisons and probation (also available in: French | German | Albanian | Macedonian | Slovenian | Serbian.)
- Handbook: Voices of victims of terrorism (also available in: Albanian | Macedonian | Serbian.)
- Manifesto for Education – Empowering Educators and Schools (also available in: Bosnian | Serbian.)
- Issue Paper Foreign fighter returnees & the reintegration challenge, November 2016 (also available in: French | German | Albanian | Macedonian | Slovenian | Serbian.)
- Issue Paper Child returnees from conflict zones, November 2016 (also available in: French | German | Albanian | Macedonian | Serbian.)
- RAN H&SC Handbook on How to set up a multi-agency structure that includes the health and social care sectors? Copenhagen, 18-19 May 2016 (also available in: Albanian | Macedonian | Slovenian | Serbian.)
- Ex-post paper The refugee and migrant crisis, 08 May 2016 (also available in: Slovenian | Serbian.)
