About CETS
A Sarajevo-based research initiative producing rigorous, evidence-based insight for policymakers, researchers, and the public.
CETS — the Center for European and Transition Studies — is an independent research initiative dedicated to producing rigorous, evidence-based analysis on the questions shaping the Western Balkans' path toward Europe.
We study how economies and institutions in transition move toward deeper European integration: what drives reform, what stalls it, and what preparedness for integration actually looks like in measurable terms. Our work is aimed squarely at use — by policymakers weighing reform sequencing, by researchers building on comparable regional data, and by a public that deserves a clear, honest account of where the region stands.
CETS operates independently of government, party, and commercial interests. Our analysis is grounded in publicly available data and established research methods, and we are explicit about the limits of what our evidence can and cannot show.
We are a developing institution. CETS was founded to fill a specific gap — comparable, rigorous readiness analysis for the Western Balkans — and we are building our institutional capacity deliberately, publication by publication, rather than announcing more than we have yet built.
Institutional Status
What Guides Us
Conclusions follow the data and methodology, not a predetermined narrative or client interest.
We build frameworks — like the Integration Readiness Index — that let countries and years be compared on consistent terms.
We state our institutional status accurately, and write for readers who need to act on our findings, not just admire them.
