3.4.1. Assessment of EUAA support to third countries in 2022

At the end of 2022, the Agency concluded the implementation of the 24-month-long roadmaps for cooperation with Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and North Macedonia. Albania and Serbia agreed to extend their roadmaps to December 2023, while Bosnia and Herzegovina and North Macedonia agreed to develop new ones.

To assess the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, coherence and added-value of its support to third countries, the EUAA managed five external evaluations of its cooperation with Western Balkan partner countries.viii  The evaluations found that roadmaps, as a framework for cooperation with third countries, were highly relevant to meet the needs of national authorities. They also served to outline long-term strategic priorities for cooperation. While resource capacity constraints and COVID-19-related travel restrictions posed challenges during the implementation, the roadmaps effectively brought about a number of common deliverables. These included an increased capacity of national counterparts to manage asylum processes and further alignment of national legislation with CEAS.

The four roadmaps were found to be coherent and complementary towards parallel activities, such as the EUAA’s activities at the regional level and ongoing efforts by international organisations. The Agency’s unique position as a centre of expertise on CEAS was considered the key added-value.