EU and Western Balkans discuss cybercrime, migration, corruption and sanctions in Budva
The Minister of Justice, Migration and Home Affairs of Ireland, Jim O'Callaghan, representing the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, together with the European Commission, represented by the European Commissioner for Justice Michael McGrath, met on 5-6 November 2026 in Budva, Montenegro, with their counterparts from the Western Balkans at the annual EU-Western Balkans Ministerial Forum on Justice and Home Affairs. Representatives of the incoming Lithuanian and Greek presidencies of the Council of the EU as well as of the European External Action Service also attended.
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The meeting underscored the shared commitment and close partnership on Justice and Home Affairs. The European Union and the Western Balkan partners discussed ways to further enhance cooperation on the online dimension of internal security.
Discussions focused on preventing and combating online child sexual abuse, online solicitation of children and cyberviolence, as well as tackling online frauds through strengthened regional and international cooperation in the detection and investigation of online scams. Participants highlighted the threat posed by cyberattacks, online fraud and online child sexual exploitation, which represent the fastest-growing crimes, and noted that criminal networks exploit gaps in cross-border cooperation and differences between jurisdictions to carry out their illicit activities.
To address online fraud more effectively, they stressed the need to improve further digital investigation and forensic capacities, including through the support of EU agencies, notably the EU Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol) and the EU Agency for Law Enforcement Training (CEPOL). The European Union and the Western Balkan partners will continue joint efforts to combat child sexual abuse and the sexual exploitation of children, while addressing the threats posed by new technologies, including the growing emergence of deepfake and AI-generated child sexual abuse material.
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They stressed the importance of effective cooperation with online platforms to report illegal content and ensure lawful access to data and welcomed the support of EU agencies in facilitating new opportunities for cooperation within the region and beyond. The participants also underlined the importance of continued and closer cooperation under the current cycle of the European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats (EMPACT).
Furthermore, they acknowledged the role of the Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre in providing expertise and strengthening cyber capacities across the Western Balkans. The European Union and Western Balkan partners welcomed the progress made in implementing the EU Action Plan on the Western Balkans of December 2022.
They reaffirmed their joint commitment to tackling illegal migration by reinforcing border protection and combatting migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings. They underlined the importance of enhanced cooperation between the Western Balkan partners and the relevant EU Agencies, notably the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex), the EU Agency for Asylum (EUAA) and Europol, also in the context of the Global Alliance to Counter Migrant Smuggling.
The participants stressed the need to continue efforts to address increasing violence involving migrant smugglers and criminal groups, while ensuring adequate protection frameworks and timely support to victims of trafficking and smuggled migrants who are subjected to abuses or crime in line with EU and international standards.
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