Bill > S1651

This bill aims to encourage increased trade and investment between the United States and countries in the Western Balkans region, which includes Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia. The key provisions of the bill are: 1. Codification of existing sanctions on individuals in the Western Balkans, with a process for termination or waiver of such sanctions. 2. Initiatives to promote democratic and economic development, including anti-corruption efforts, strengthening cyber resilience, and a regional trade and development program. 3. Promotion of cross-cultural and educational engagement, including partnerships between U.S. and Western Balkans universities. 4. Expansion of the "Young Balkan Leaders Initiative" to provide professional development opportunities for young leaders in the region. 5. Support for cybersecurity and cyber resilience in the Western Balkans to counter malign influence operations. 6. Encouragement of normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia, without pursuing policies that redraw borders along ethnic lines. 7. Reporting requirements on Russian and Chinese malign influence operations in the Western Balkans. The overall goal of the bill is to strengthen democratic institutions, promote economic prosperity, and counter foreign malign influence in the Western Balkans region, which is strategically important to the United States and its European allies.