The decline of democracy and the rule of law, together with the stalling of the European integration of the Western Balkans, are the biggest and most significant changes that have taken place in this region in the last ten years. Global challenges and the challenges within the EU in the last decade have not helped the democratisation and socio-economic transformation of the Western Balkans. The global economic crisis, the migration wave to Europe, the rise of the extreme right and populist leaders, Brexit, the bad image of the Balkans in some EU countries, erosion of basic European values, and power struggles within the EU are some of the issues that have adversely affected the region.