The European Union would like to enlist the support of regions and cities to help Western Balkan countries in their preparations for membership of the European Union and in developing relationships with other countries in the EU's neighbourhood.

The European Union should do much more to support the consolidation of effective and independent public administrations in municipalities and regions in the Balkans and Turkey. This would, the European Committee of the Regions argues in an opinion adopted on 12 February, help counter the "increasingly hostile environment for civil society" in some countries, help drive economic growth and, more broadly, advance sustainable development.

Council of Europe and EU advocate use of innovative democratic tools to help Mostar as court orders Bosnia-Herzegovina to enable elections in southern Bosnian city.

Members of CoR delegation back Albanian accession to EU, but stress need for sustained improvements.