The European Union/Council of Europe Joint Programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye” is a co-operation modality developed by the Council of Europe and the EU to support compliance of Beneficiaries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Türkiye) with European standards and the EU acquis in the areas covered by the Facility. Under the first and second phase of the Horizontal Facility, support was provided to assist the Beneficiaries in bringing their policies, institutions and practices further in line with the recommendations of the Council of Europe monitoring bodies and European standards. Efforts to further support the Beneficiaries in implementing sufficient reforms towards compliance with European standards and the EU acquis in the areas of rule of law, democracy and human rights, will continue under the third phase of the Horizontal Facility which begun on 1 January 2023 and will last until 31 December 2026. 

In phase three of the Horizontal Facility, the Economic Crime and Cooperation Division of the Council of Europe will continue Actions against Economic Crime in Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia and at the regional level. New Actions are also launched, in the field of prevention of corruption and anti-money laundering in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the countering of money laundering and terrorist financing in Türkiye. Over a period of four years, the Actions will support the Beneficiaries in their efforts  to follow up on the key recommendations of the Council of Europe’s monitoring bodies, the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) and the Committee of Experts on the Evaluation of Anti-Money Laundering Measures and the Financing of Terrorism (MONEYVAL), and complying with the requirements of the evolving EU acquis in the areas of anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT).