Rule of Law in Southeast Europe 2025

1. Introduction

Southeast Europe stands at a critical juncture in 2025. The region, spanning from EU member states to aspiring candidates, presents a paradox of simultaneous progress and regression. While some nations have made remarkable strides in strengthening democratic institutions and the rule of law, others have witnessed alarming deterioration in the very foundations that underpin a functioning democracy.

This report draws on two main sources: the World Justice Project's Rule of Law Index 2025 , which provides quantitative measurements across 143 countries, and the European Union's 2025 country reports , offering detailed qualitative assessments of institutional reforms and challenges. Together, these sources paint a complex picture of a region where geographic prox-imity masks profound differences in governance quality, judicial independence, and commit-ment to fighting corruption. 

The countries under examination fall into two distinct groups. Croatia, Romania, and Bulgaria are already EU members, formally bound by the union's standards and oversight mechanisms. Yet even among these three, performance varies dramatically. The second group consists of candidate and potential candidate countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia. For these nations, EU accession serves as both carrot and stick, theoretically incentivizing reform while exposing the gap between aspiration and reality.

It is important to note that the expert surveys for the WJP Rule of Law Index and the information gathering for the EU Commission report were conducted in the first half of 2025 and therefore reflect developments only retrospectively. Subsequent developments are therefore not taken into account here either.

Read the entire country report here as a PDF.