Western Balkans Democracy and Prosperity Act

II Calendar No. 369 118TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION S. 1651 To encourage increased trade and investment between the United States and the countries in the Western Balkans, and for other purposes. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES MAY 17, 2023 Mrs. SHAHEEN (for herself, Mr. WICKER, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, and Mr. WELCH) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations MAY 7, 2024 Reported by Mr. CARDIN, with an amendment [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] A BILL To encourage increased trade and investment between the United States and the countries in the Western Balkans, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 3 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 4 ‘‘Western Balkans Democracy and Prosperity Act’’. 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:20 May 08, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S1651.RS S1651 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 2 •S 1651 RS (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 1 this Act is as follows: 2 Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. Sec. 2. Findings. Sec. 3. Sense of Congress. Sec. 4. Definitions. Sec. 5. Codification of sanctions relating to the Western Balkans. Sec. 6. Congressional review of certain actions relating to sanctions imposed with respect to the Western Balkans. Sec. 7. Democratic and economic development and prosperity initiatives. Sec. 8. Countering malign influence and promoting cross-cultural engagement. Sec. 9. Peace Corps in the Western Balkans. Sec. 10. Balkans Youth Leadership Initiative. Sec. 11. Supporting cybersecurity and cyber resilience in the Western Balkans. Sec. 12. Sense of Congress regarding an interim agreement. Sec. 13. Sunset. SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 3 Congress finds the following: 4 (1) The Western Balkans countries (the Repub- 5 lic of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republic 6 of Kosovo, Montenegro, the Republic of North Mac- 7 edonia, and the Republic of Serbia) form a plural- 8 istic, multi-ethnic region in the heart of Europe that 9 is critical to the peace, stability, and prosperity of 10 Europe. 11 (2) Continued peace, stability, and prosperity in 12 the Western Balkans is directly tied to opportunities 13 for democratic and economic advancement available 14 to the citizens and residents of those 6 countries. 15 (3) It is in the mutual interest of the United 16 States and the 6 countries of the Western Balkans 17 to promote stable and sustainable economic growth 18 and development in the region. 19 VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:20 May 08, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S1651.RS S1651 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 3 •S 1651 RS (4) The reforms and integration with the Euro- 1 pean Union pursued by countries in the Western 2 Balkans have led to significant democratic and eco- 3 nomic progress in the region. 4 (5) Despite economic progress, rates of poverty 5 and unemployment in the Western Balkans remain 6 higher than in neighboring European Union coun- 7 tries. 8 (6) Out-migration, particularly of youth, is af- 9 fecting demographics in each Western Balkans coun- 10 try, resulting in negative population growth in all 6 11 countries. 12 (7) Creating an enabling environment for trans- 13 parent, accountable, and market-oriented investment 14 and creating employment opportunities in the West- 15 ern Balkans, especially for youth, can provide power- 16 ful tools for economic development and for encour- 17 aging broader participation in a political process 18 that increases prosperity for all. 19 (8) Offering opportunities for inclusive, trans- 20 parent economic growth and merit-based employ- 21 ment to people living in the Western Balkans will 22 encourage higher levels of trade and direct invest- 23 ment and support positive economic and political de- 24 velopments occurring throughout the region. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:20 May 08, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S1651.RS S1651 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 4 •S 1651 RS (9) Existing regional economic efforts, such as 1 the Common Regional Market and the Open Balkan 2 initiative, when aligned with European Union stand- 3 ards, norms, and regulations, have the potential to 4 improve the economic conditions in the Western Bal- 5 kans, while promoting inclusion and transparency. 6 (10) The Department of Commerce, through its 7 Foreign Commercial Service, plays an important role 8 in promoting and facilitating opportunities for 9 United States trade and investment. 10 (11) Corruption continues to plague the West- 11 ern Balkans and represents one of the greatest im- 12 pediments to further economic and political develop- 13 ment in the region. 14 (12) Disinformation campaigns targeting the 15 Western Balkans threaten the credibility of Western 16 democratic institutions. 17 (13) Vulnerabilities to corrosive capital, malign 18 economic influence, interference, and economic coer- 19 cion are acutely present in Western Balkans econo- 20 mies. 21 (14) Vulnerability to cyberattacks or attacks on 22 information and communication technology infra- 23 structure increases risks to the functioning of gov- 24 ernment and the delivery of public services. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:20 May 08, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S1651.RS S1651 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 5 •S 1651 RS (15) United States Cyber Command plays a 1 critical role in defending the national security inter- 2 ests of the United States. 3 (16) Securing domestic and international cyber 4 networks and electronic infrastructure is a national 5 security priority for the United States, which is ex- 6 emplified by offices and programs across the Federal 7 Government that support cyber security, including— 8 (A) the Department of Homeland Secu- 9 rity’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security 10 Agency; 11 (B) the Department of State’s Bureau of 12 Cyberspace and Digital Policy; 13 (C) the United States Agency for Inter- 14 national Development’s Digital Strategy; and 15 (D) the Department of Energy’s 16 CyberForce Program. 17 (17) Corruption and disinformation proliferate 18 in political environments marked by autocratic con- 19 trol or partisan conflict. 20 (18) Dependence on Russian sources of oil and 21 natural gas for the countries of the Western Balkans 22 ties their economies and politics to the Russian Fed- 23 eration and inhibits their aspirations for European 24 integration. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:20 May 08, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S1651.RS S1651 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 6 •S 1651 RS (19) The reliance of the Western Balkans on 1 fossil fuels for energy sources causes damage to the 2 environment and to human health, while inhibiting 3 economic development in the region. 4 (20) Reducing the reliance of the Western Bal- 5 kans on Russian natural gas supplies is in the na- 6 tional interest of the United States. 7 (21) The growing influence of China in the 8 Western Balkans could also have a deleterious im- 9 pact on strategic competition, democracy, and eco- 10 nomic integration with Europe. 11 (22) The United States International Develop- 12 ment Finance Corporation plays an important role 13 in the pursuit of United States policy goals focused 14 on economic development. 15 (23) In March 2022, President Biden launched 16 the European Democratic Resilience Initiative to 17 bolster democratic resilience, advance anti-corruption 18 efforts, and defend human rights in Ukraine and its 19 neighbors in response to Russia’s war of aggression. 20 SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 21 It is a sense of Congress that the United States 22 should— 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:20 May 08, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S1651.RS S1651 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 7 •S 1651 RS (1) encourage increased trade and investment 1 between the United States and allies and partners in 2 the Western Balkans; 3 (2) expand United States assistance to regional 4 integration efforts in the Western Balkans; 5 (3) strengthen and expand regional economic 6 integration in the Western Balkans, especially enter- 7 prises owned by and employing women and youth; 8 (4) work with allies and partners committed to 9 improving the rule of law, energy resource diver- 10 sification, democratic and economic reform, and the 11 eradication of poverty in the Western Balkans; 12 (5) increase United States trade and investment 13 with the Western Balkans, particularly in ways 14 that— 15 (A) decrease dependence on Russian en- 16 ergy sources and fossil fuels; 17 (B) increase energy diversification, effi- 18 ciency, and conservation; and 19 (C) facilitate the transition to cleaner and 20 more reliable sources of energy, including re- 21 newables; 22 (6) support the efforts of countries of the West- 23 ern Balkans to develop— 24 (A) strong civil societies; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:20 May 08, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S1651.RS S1651 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 8 •S 1651 RS (B) public-private partnerships and dia- 1 logue in policy development; 2 (C) independent media; 3 (D) transparent, accountable, citizen-re- 4 sponsive governance, including expanded rep- 5 resentation for women and youth in democratic 6 spaces; and 7 (E) political stability; 8 (7) support the expeditious accession of the 9 Western Balkans countries to the European Union 10 and to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (re- 11 ferred to in this section as ‘‘NATO’’) for those that 12 desire and meet the criteria for membership; 13 (8) support— 14 (A) maintaining the full European Union 15 Force (EUFOR) mandate in Bosnia and 16 Herzegovina as being in the national security 17 interests of the United States; 18 (B) encouraging NATO and the European 19 Union to review their mission mandates and 20 posture in Bosnia and Herzegovina to ensure 21 they are playing a proactive role in establishing 22 a safe and secure environment, particularly the 23 defense environment; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:20 May 08, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S1651.RS S1651 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 9 •S 1651 RS (C) using the voice of the United States in 1 NATO to encourage alliance planning and sup- 2 port of an international military force to main- 3 tain a safe and secure environment in Bosnia 4 and Herzegovina, especially if Russia blocks re- 5 authorization of the mission in the United Na- 6 tions; and 7 (D) a strengthened NATO headquarters in 8 Sarajevo; 9 (9) continue security cooperation with the Re- 10 public of Albania, Montenegro, and the Republic of 11 North Macedonia through the auspices of NATO 12 and through continued bilateral cooperation; 13 (10) continue to support Montenegro’s ongoing 14 accession negotiations with the European Union, in- 15 cluding by providing assistance to Montenegro to 16 help the country promptly meet European Union 17 membership criteria; 18 (11) continue to support the applications of the 19 Republic of North Macedonia and the Republic of 20 Albania for European Union membership by sup- 21 porting improvement of their respective abilities to 22 meet democracy benchmarks required for accession; 23 (12) continue to support the overarching mis- 24 sion of the Open Balkan initiative provided the ini- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:20 May 08, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S1651.RS S1651 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 10 •S 1651 RS tiative remains inclusive of all Western Balkans 1 countries and remains aligned with the objectives 2 and standards laid out by the European Union for 3 requirements for accession to the European Union; 4 (13) continue to support the pursuit by Bosnia 5 and Herzegovina of European Union candidate sta- 6 tus by encouraging meaningful advancement of its 7 reform agenda; 8 (14) continue to support the cultural heritage, 9 and recognize the languages of the Western Balkans; 10 (15) coordinate closely with the European 11 Union, the United Kingdom, and other allies and 12 partners on sanctions designations and work to align 13 efforts as much as possible to demonstrate a clear 14 commitment to upholding democratic values; 15 (16) expand bilateral security cooperation with 16 NATO-aspirant Western Balkan countries, particu- 17 larly efforts focused on regional integration and co- 18 operation, including through the Adriatic Charter, 19 done at Tirana May 2, 2003; 20 (17) increase efforts to combat Russian 21 disinformation campaigns and any other malign, de- 22 stabilizing, or disruptive activities targeting the 23 Western Balkans through engagement with govern- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:20 May 08, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S1651.RS S1651 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 11 •S 1651 RS ment institutions, political stakeholders, journalists, 1 civil society organizations, and industry leaders; 2 (18) develop a series of cyber resilience stand- 3 ards, consistent with the Enhanced Cyber Defense 4 Policy and Readiness Action Plan endorsed at the 5 2014 Wales Summit of the North Atlantic Treaty 6 Organization to expand cooperation with partners 7 and allies, including in the Western Balkans, on 8 cyber security and ICT infrastructure defenses; 9 (19) articulate clearly and unambiguously the 10 United States commitment to supporting democratic 11 values and respect for international law as the sole 12 path forward for the countries of the Western Bal- 13 kans; and 14 (20) support the mission of the Peace Corps to 15 promote world peace and friendship by helping the 16 people of interested countries to meet their need for 17 trained men and women, which provides an invalu- 18 able opportunity to connect the American people 19 with the people of the Western Balkans. 20 SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 21 In this Act: 22 (1) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT- 23 TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com- 24 mittees’’ means— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:20 May 08, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S1651.RS S1651 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 12 •S 1651 RS (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations of 1 the Senate; 2 (B) the Committee on Appropriations of 3 the Senate; 4 (C) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of 5 the House of Representatives; and 6 (D) the Committee on Appropriations of 7 the House of Representatives. 8 (2) WESTERN BALKANS.—The term ‘‘Western 9 Balkans’’ means the region comprised of the [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]