to combat political corruption, particularly in the judiciary, independent election oversight bodies, and public procurement processes; and

to strengthen regulatory and legislative oversight of critical governance areas, such as freedom of information and public procurement, including by strengthening cyber defenses and ICT infrastructure networks;

promoting stronger economic, civic, and political relationships among Western Balkans countries will enable countries to better utilize existing resources and maximize their economic security and democratic resilience by reinforcing cyber defenses and increasing economic activity among other countries in the region; and

United States private investments in and assistance toward creating a more integrated region ensures political stability and security for the region.

takes into account the efforts of the European Union, European nations, and other multilateral financing institutions;

considers the full set of tools and resources available from the relevant agencies;

includes efforts to ensure coordination with multilateral and bilateral partners, such as the European Union, the World Bank, and other relevant assistance frameworks;

considers ways to develop human and institutional capacity and infrastructure across multiple sectors of economies, including clean energy, energy efficiency, agriculture, small and medium-sized enterprise development, health, and cyber-security;

considers ways to assist with the development and implementation of programs or initiatives to increase economic development and prosperity in the region;

considers ways to support small- and medium-sized businesses, including youth-owned and women-owned enterprises;

considers ways to promote government and civil society policies and programs that combat corruption and encourage transparency (including by supporting independent media by promoting the safety and security of journalists), free and fair competition, sound governance, judicial reform, environmental stewardship, and business environments conducive to sustainable and inclusive economic growth; and

includes a public diplomacy strategy that describes the actions that will be taken by relevant agencies to increase support for the United States relationship by citizens of Western Balkans countries.

promote private sector growth and competitiveness and increase the capacity of businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, in the Western Balkans region;

aim to increase intraregional exports to countries in the Balkans and European Union member states;

aim to increase United States economic activity and investments in countries in the Western Balkans;

encourage and promote increased economic activity and investment in the Western Balkans through engagement with the Western Balkans diaspora communities in the United States and abroad;

identify areas where application of additional resources and workforce retraining could expand successful programs to 1 or more countries in the Western Balkans region by building on the existing experience and program architecture;

compare existing single-country sector analyses to determine areas of focus that would benefit from a regional approach with respect to the Western Balkans region; and

transportation projects that build roads, bridges, railways and other physical infrastructure to facilitate travel of goods and people throughout the Western Balkans region;

technical support and the promotion of investments needed to meet United States and European Union standards for air travel, including screening and information sharing;

the development of telecommunications networks with trusted providers;

infrastructure projects that connect Western Balkans countries to each other and to countries with which they share a border;

information exchange on effective tender procedures and transparent procurement processes;

sharing best practices learned from the United States and other international partners to ensure that institutional and regulatory mechanisms are fair, nonarbitrary, effective, and free from corruption;

projects that support regional energy security and reduce dependence on Russian energy;

technical assistance and generating private investment in projects that promote connectivity and energy-sharing in the Western Balkans region;

technical assistance to support regional collaboration on environmental protection that includes governmental, political, civic, and business stakeholders; and

technical assistance to develop financing options and help create linkages with potential financing institutions and investors.

be open to the participation of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia;

be consistent with European Union accession requirements;

be focused on retaining talent within the Western Balkans;

promote government policies in Western Balkans countries that encourage free and fair competition, sound governance, environmental protection, and business environments that are conducive to sustainable and inclusive economic growth; and

include a public diplomacy strategy to inform local and regional audiences in the Western Balkans region about the initiative, including specific programs and projects.

an assessment of the benefits of providing sovereign loan guarantees to countries in the Western Balkans to support infrastructure and energy diversification projects;

an outline of additional resources, such as tools, funding, and personnel, which may be required to offer sovereign loan guarantees in the Western Balkans; and

an assessment of how the United States International Development Finance Corporation, in coordination with the United States Trade and Development Agency and the Export-Import Bank of the United States, can deploy its insurance products in support of bonds or other instruments issued to raise capital through United States financial markets in the Western Balkans.