The third Regional Western Balkan Consultative Forum, organised by the Western Balkans Criminal Justice Project in cooperation with the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina, took place in Sarajevo on 19 May 2026. Building on previous editions, the Forum brought together General and Special Chief Prosecutors from across the six Western Balkan countries to strengthen regional dialogue and cooperation.

The Forum once again provided a platform for direct exchanges among partners, reinforcing shared priorities and trust across the region. Discussions focused on enhancing cooperation in tackling organised crime and corruption cases, with particular emphasis on operational coordination, information exchange, and the use of advanced judicial cooperation tools.

At this high-level meeting, Eurojust President Mr Michael Schmid affirmed: “After nearly four years of close cooperation through the Eurojust-led Western Balkans Criminal Justice Project (WBCJ) project, it is safe to say we have made important progress. The project has built trusted partnerships with judicial authorities across the Western Balkans and has, to date, supported 88 cross-border investigations – including 23 Joint Investigation Teams – involving EU Member States, Western Balkan partners and other non-EU countries. And importantly, it is particularly encouraging to see broad consensus among participants at the Consultative Forum Meeting that we will continue along this path of ever-closer operational cooperation and strengthened ties between prosecutors and judges in the Western Balkans and their counterparts in the EU Member States”.

On this occasion, the WBCJ Project also presented its new Practical Guide on Joint Investigation Teams (JITs) for Western Balkan Practitioners. The Guide was developed by two expert prosecutors engaged by the WBCJ Project and is tailored to the legal and operational needs of prosecutors and law enforcement authorities in the Western Balkan region. It provides practical guidance on the functioning and added value of JITs, as well as the support available when establishing and operating them. The Guide is available both online and in hard copy in Albanian, Bosnian/Montenegrin/Serbian, and North Macedonian.

By addressing the specific challenges faced by Western Balkan authorities and promoting the effective use of JITs, the Guide highlights the role of Eurojust and the WBCJ Project as key partners in facilitating judicial cooperation with EU Member States and beyond. The WBCJ Project thanks the experts, the JIT Network Secretariat, Liaison Prosecutors at Eurojust, and Western Balkan authorities who contributed to the development of this publication.