Supranational Frameworks for Territorial Governance and Spatial Planning in the Western Balkans

The chapter offers a general overview of the most common supranational recommendations and initiatives as frameworks within which countries of the Western Balkans define and implement their spatial policies. By using a comparative approach, the aim of the chapter is to identify specific aspects in which reflection is the highest, as well as to contemplate on the necessity of creating a specific supranational framework for spatial planning and territorial governance for the WB countries. The latter could contain a set of recommendations and initiatives tailored to the experiences, opportunities and challenges of the region. Supranational frameworks, as instruments for better addressing the territorial development, should be created and implemented through the advanced forms of cooperation, taking into account all levels of governance, but especially finding the way to reach the local level. These are, however, particularly challenging in the Western Balkan region due to the small size of countries and the current political and economic context.