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1. The general objectives of the Facility shall be to:

(a) support the enlargement process by accelerating the alignment with Union values, laws, rules, standards, policies and practices (‘acquis’) through the adoption and implementation of reforms with a view to future Union membership;

(b) accelerate regional economic integration and progressive integration into the Union single market;

(c) accelerate the socio-economic convergence of the beneficiaries’ economies with the Union;

(d) foster regional cooperation, good neighbourly relations, reconciliation and the settlement of disputes in the Western Balkans, as well as people-to-people contact.

2. The specific objectives of the Facility shall be to:

(a) further strengthen the fundamentals of the enlargement process, including the rule of law and fundamental rights, the functioning of democratic institutions, including at regional and local level and including de-polarisation, public administration and fulfil the economic criteria; this includes promoting an independent judiciary, reinforcing security and stability in the region, strengthening the fight against fraud and all forms of corruption, including high-level corruption and nepotism, organised crime, cross-border crime and money laundering as well as terrorism financing, tax evasion and tax fraud, tax avoidance; increasing compliance with international law; strengthening freedom and independence of media and academic freedom; combating hate speech; enabling an environment for civil society, fostering social dialogue; promoting gender equality, gender mainstreaming and the empowerment of women and girls, non-discrimination and tolerance, to ensure and strengthen respect for the rights of persons belonging to minorities, including national minorities and Roma, as well as rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons;

(b) move towards full alignment of the beneficiaries with the Union Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), including Union restrictive measures;

(c) fight disinformation and Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference against the Union and its values;

(d) move towards harmonisation of visa policies with the Union;

(e) reinforce the effectiveness of public administration, build local capacities and invest in administrative staff in the beneficiaries; ensure access to information, public scrutiny and the involvement of civil society in decision-making processes; support transparency, accountability, structural reforms and good governance at all levels, including as regards their powers of oversight and inquiry over the distribution of and access to public funds as well as in the areas of public financial management and public procurement and State aid control; support initiatives and bodies involved in supporting and enforcing international justice in the beneficiaries;

(f) accelerate the transition of the beneficiaries to sustainable, climate-neutral and inclusive economies, that are capable of withstanding competitive market pressures of the Union single market, and to a stable investment environment and reduce their strategic dependencies;

(g) boost regional economic integration in particular through progress in the establishment of the Common Regional Market;

(h) foster economic integration of the beneficiaries with the Union single market, in particular through increased trade and investment flows, and resilient value chains;

(i) support regional economic integration and enhanced integration with the Union single market through improved and sustainable connectivity in the region in line with trans-European networks to reinforce regional cooperation, good neighbourly relations, reconciliation, as well as people-to-people contact;

(j) accelerate the inclusive and sustainable green transition to climate neutrality by 2050, in accordance with the Paris Agreement and the Green Deal, in line with the 2020 Green Agenda for the Western Balkans and covering all economic sectors, particularly energy, including the transition towards a de-carbonised, climate-neutral, climate-resilient and circular economy, while ensuring that investments respect the ‘do no significant harm’ principle;

(k) promote the digital transformation and digital skills as an enabler of sustainable development and inclusive growth;

(l) boost innovation, research, and cooperation between academic institutions and industry in support of the green and digital transitions, promoting local industries with a particular emphasis on locally based micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and start-ups;

(m) boost quality education, training, reskilling and upskilling at all levels, with a particular focus on youth, including tackling youth unemployment, preventing brain drain and supporting vulnerable communities and support employment policies, including labour rights, in line with the European Pillar of Social Rights, and fighting poverty.