This set of regional actions offer assistance in improving the record of fighting discrimination, racism, hate speech and hate crime in the Western Balkans. They build on the work done and results achieved under the previous phase of the Horizontal Facility programme and the actions on Promotion of diversity and equality in the Western Balkans, in line with the latest trends in the field of racism and intolerance in Europe as outlined in the Annual Reports of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI).

The technical support is provided as part of the beneficiaries’ EU accession process, in line with European standards – notably those from the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance – as well as with the EU Anti-racism Action Plan  2020-2025.

The actions (consisting of 6 beneficiary specific and a regional one) are implemented within the joint programme of the European Union and the Council of Europe “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye” running from 2023 until 2026.

More on the beneficiary specific actions:
Albania – Bosnia and Herzegovina – Kosovo* - Montenegro – North Macedonia – Serbia

The ultimate goal of the regional action on “Promoting equality and combating racism and intolerance 
in the Western Balkans” is to increase the awareness of the institutions and of the population in the Western Balkans about hatred, racism and intolerance, and develop a harmonised institutional approach to tackle these issues. 

The action ultimate beneficiary is the population in the Western Balkans. By providing technical assistance and raising awareness of public institutions and related actors in the field, the action will contribute towards improving the anti-discrimination policies, its redress mechanisms and advancing in the overall protection of human rights for the vulnerable communities. 

The action will work with Government representatives in charge of combating racism; with equality bodies; with police administrations; with civil society organizations and youth activists. 
The action provides capacity building initiatives, adapting existing tools and methodologies of the Council of Europe. It also provides occasions for peer exchanges and multi-stakeholder dialogue activities to foster co-operation among partners in the region and the dialogue between state and non-state stakeholders.
Awareness raising on combatting discrimination and promoting diversity towards Youth and the general population constitutes an important component of the action. 

Notably, the action will ensure that:

• Policy makers better address racism and intolerance;

• Equality bodies and police administrations enhance their capacities to respond to racism and intolerance, by operating in diverse societies;

• The youth and ultimately the general public are more aware of the dangers of hatred, racism and intolerance to societies and can take actions against these phenomena.

The total budget of the actions is 3,5 Million Euros, out of which 700,000 Euros for its regional component.

The budget allocated to the overall Horizontal Facility programme amounts to ca. 41 Million EUR (85% funded by the European Union, 15% by the Council of Europe)

The “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye” is a joint initiative of the European Union and the Council of Europe that enables the Western Balkans Beneficiaries and Türkiye to meet their reform agendas in the fields of human rights, rule of law and democracy and to comply with the European standards, which is also a priority for the EU enlargement process.