Western Balkans and EU Candidate Countries Align with Belarus Sanctions

Belarus Virtual Consult

A group of Western Balkans countries with EU candidate status — Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina — have formally aligned themselves with EU restrictive measures against Belarus, demonstrating their commitment to EU foreign policy norms as part of their accession process.

Countries Covered

Albania — EU candidate country since 2014
Montenegro — EU candidate country since 2010
North Macedonia — EU candidate country since 2005
Bosnia and Herzegovina — EU candidate country since 2022

Mechanism of Alignment

These countries do not have independent autonomous sanctions frameworks equivalent to those of the EU, US or UK. Instead, they formally declare alignment with EU Council decisions through statements submitted to the EU High Representative. The EU then publishes these alignment declarations as formal records. Practically, alignment means these countries:

Implement travel bans preventing designated Belarusian persons from entering their territory
Apply asset freeze measures consistent with EU designations to the extent their domestic legal frameworks permit
Commit to not circumventing EU-level trade and financial restrictions

Timeline of Alignment

Albania, Montenegro and North Macedonia aligned with the initial EU Belarus sanctions from late 2020. Bosnia and Herzegovina followed as its candidate status and EU relationship deepened. All four countries have consistently aligned with subsequent EU Belarus sanctions packages through 2025, including those related to:

Post-election repression (2020)
The Ryanair forced diversion (2021)
Migration instrumentalization (2021)
Belarus's role in Russia's war against Ukraine (2022 onwards)
Hybrid activities against EU member states (2025)

Context: EU Accession Process

Alignment with EU foreign policy and sanctions is one of the requirements for EU membership under the acquis communautaire (Chapter 31: Foreign, Security and Defence Policy). These countries' consistent alignment with EU Belarus sanctions demonstrates their commitment to adopting EU external relations norms as part of their accession path. The EU High Representative's alignment statements serve as a formal record of this compliance.