下一级伙伴关系-加强欧盟合作，以应对西巴尔干地区的混合威胁（英）

© European Union Institute for Security Studies, 2023.The views expressed in this publication are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.BRIEF / 2Feb 2023NEXT LEVEL PARTNERSHIPBolstering EU-NATO cooperation to counter hybrid threats in the Western BalkansbyMarie BrethousAssociate Analyst, EUISSNaďa KovalčíkováSenior Analyst, EUISS*INTRODUCTION In the wake of their third Joint Declaration, signed in January 2023, the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) confirmed that they have ‘reached tangible results in countering hy-brid threats’ while aiming to take their ‘partnership to the next level on the basis of long-standing coopera-tion’ (1). The ongoing war in Ukraine illustrates the fact that hybrid threats have become an integral part of contemporary warfare, which increasingly combines conventional and unconventional tools of interference with lethal effects. There is not one commonly agreed definition of hybrid threats and the main responsi-bility to address them lies with the targeted country. However, this does not stop the EU and NATO from combining their capabilities and expertise to devel-op, adapt and tailor their tools to help their Member States and partners address an evolving range of hy-brid threats. Summary › The effective countering of hybrid threats is a common concern for the EU and NATO, including in the Western Balkans. › While the EU’s and NATO’s mandates and toolkits differ, their presence and inter-vention in the region is complementary and rooted in close cooperation.› The Western Balkans are increasingly tar-geted by hybrid attacks, in particular for-eign interference and disinformation cam-paigns. This could exacerbate tensions in a continent already exposed to the destabi-lising effects of the war in Ukraine. › Contrary to other foreign actors seeking to gain leverage in the region, Russia’s role transcends the political and economic sphere and presents the greatest external peril to the Euro-Atlantic integration of the Western Balkans.› Going forward, as certain Western Balkan countries are NATO allies and several are candidates for both EU and NATO member-ship, systematic and structural initiatives to fight hybrid actions are critical not only for European and transatlantic, but also transnational security.2Marie Brethous aND NaĎa KoVaLČÍKoVÁThe European Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Countering Hybrid Threats, operating under the aus-pices of both EU and NATO members, defines the term ‘hybrid threat’ as ‘an action conducted by state or non-state actors whose goal is to undermine or harm a target by influencing its decision-making at the local, regional, state or institutional level’ (2). The CoE has identified 13 domains, including the political, military, economic and information realms, where hybrid actions take place, using a broad range of tac-tics which are designed to make it difficult to detect and attribute the attacks with