EuropeBoard

Western Balkans

---

The Western Balkans or Western Balkania (WB or W.B.), officially referred to as The Federal Republic of Western Balkania, is a country located primarily in Southeast and Central Europe. It takes up the Western portion of the Balkan Peninsula and has the longest coastline with the Mediterranean Sea compared to any other nation. It borders the Socialist Democratic Republic of Hungary and the Federal German Union to the north, The Eastern Balkan Federation to the east, The People's Republic of Turkey in the southeast, the Aegean Sea to the south, the Ionian Sea to the southwest, the Adriatic Sea to the west, and the Republic of Italy to the northwest. The northern areas of the nation are continental (cold winters with hot, humid summers with rain), while the southern regions are more temperate and Mediterranean (wet winters with hot, dry summers) and are overall warmer and more humid. Cyprus is even warmer, with a fully temperate, Mediterranean climate. (cool winters with hot, dry summers) Western Balkania has a land area of 426,087 km² (164,513 mi²) and a population of nearly 35.4 million. This makes the W.B. the sixth-largest nation and ninth-most populous in Europe. The Western Balkan's most populous city is Belgrade, which is located in the region of Slavia and is the capital city of the W.B.

Continuously inhabited since the Paleolithic Age, the territory of modern-day Slavia faced Slavic migrations in the 6th century, establishing several regional states in the early Middle Ages at times recognized as tributaries to the Byzantine, Frankish, and Hungarian kingdoms. The Serbian Kingdom obtained recognition from the Holy See and Constantinople in 1217. By the mid-16th century, the Ottomans annexed nearly the entirety of modern-day Slavia; with the Northern parts being occupied by the Habsburgs, which began expanding towards Central Slavia and Serbia from the end of the 17th century while maintaining Vojvodina. In the early 19th century, the Serbian Revolution established the nation-state as the region's first constitutional monarchy. In 1918, in the aftermath of World War I, the Kingdom of Serbia united with Vojvodina; later in the same year, it joined with other Slavic nations in the foundation of Slavia, which existed in various political forms until the forming of Western Balkania in 1985.

Greece is considered the cradle of Western civilization, being the birthplace of democracy, Western philosophy, literature, historiography, political science, major scientific and mathematical principles, theatre, and the Olympics. From the eighth century BC, the Greeks were organized into various independent city-states known as poleis. Philip II of Macedon united most of Greece in the 4th century BC, with his son Alexander the Great conquering much of the ancient world from the eastern Mediterranean to northwest India. The Hellenistic period (323 BC - 30 BC) saw the apex of Greek culture and influence. Greece was annexed by Rome in the 2nd century BC, eventually becoming the Byzantine Empire. After the 4th Crusade, Latin possessions were established in parts of the Greek peninsula, but most of the area fell under Ottoman rule by the mid-15th century. Following a war of independence, which began in 1821, Greece emerged as a modern nation in 1830. Over the first century, the Kingdom of Greece sought territorial expansion, mainly seen in the early 20th century during the Balkan Wars and up until the Greco-Turkish War. The Second Hellenic Republic established in 1924 was beset by civil strife and the resettling of refugees from Turkey. In 1936, a royalist dictatorship began a period of authoritarian rule, marked by military occupation, civil war, and dictatorship. Democracy was restored in 1974, leading to the formation of the Third Hellenic Republic. In 1985, Greece would unify with the Western Balkans and Cyprus after a landslide unification referendum.

In ancient times, the Illyrians inhabited northern and central regions of Albania, whilst Epirotes inhabited the south. Several important Greek colonies were also established on the coast. The Illyrian kingdom centered in modern Albania was the dominant power before Macedon. In the 2nd century BCE, the region was annexed by the Romans, and after the division of the Roman Empire, it became Byzantine land. The first known Albanian principality, Arbanon, was established in the 12th century. The Kingdom of Albania, Principality of Albania, and Albania Veneta were formed between the 13th and 15th centuries in different parts of the country, alongside other principalities and political entities. In the late 15th century, Albania became part of the Ottoman Empire until 1912, when Albania declared independence. In 1939, Italy invaded the Kingdom of Albania, which became Greater Albania, and then a protectorate of Germany during WWII. Following the war, the Republic of Albania was formed, which lasted until the unification of the Western Balkans and Cyprus.

Following an overwhelming successful unification referendum in 1982, Western Balkania emerged as a modern nation-state in 1985. Over the first few years of the union, the republic saw immense success and growth in terms of quality of life, economic prosperity, and cultural affinity with one another. This trend of growth slowed down in the mid-90s, and the age of prosperity eventually ended in 1998 after the beginning of the Third Balkan War. The Western Balkans saw a wave of widespread nationalism and patriotism during and after the years of the Third Balkan War, which led to the most nationalist leader since Hitler being elected in Europe, Dulin Hassan. (2000-2003) The years after this saw the second age of economic growth under the management of Sretomir Stefanović, transforming the nation from an underdeveloped, poor European nation to the 2nd wealthiest in Europe, with some of the highest standards of living in the world.

The Western Balkans is a highly developed country ranked second in the Human Development Index. It is a Federal Parliamentary Republic, with legislative power vested in the Western Balkan Federal Assembly. It is a federal state, divided into 3 regions and 8 provinces, with 2 autonomous states in the Serbian province (Vojvodina and Montenegro). The Western Balkans maintains a Nordic-esque social welfare system that provides universal health care and free public education for its citizens. It has the world's 5th highest GDP per capita and ranks very highly in quality of life, health, education, protection of civil liberties, economic competitiveness, income equality, gender equality, business friendliness, and prosperity. The W.B. joined the European Union and the World Defense Organization on 1 January 2004. It is also a member of the United Nations, the Schengen Area, the Eurozone, the Council of Europe, the Global Trade Organization and the OECD.

NOTE: This is obviously an alternate-history scenario. Some changes in this timeline are; that Communism never fell and spread farther in the world, the Communist ideology is a more successful in basically every metric than it actually was, so more countries have turned to it. Germany united with Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Luxembourg, Belgium was partitioned by France and the Netherlands, British Isles are united, Josip Broz Tito was not a socialist, but rather a social democrat who leaned more to the West, but still remained in the non-aligned movement. The microstates (Vatican, San marino, monaco, etc) never existed and were always part of a larger nation, No ethnic conflicts or issues in the Balkans, because in real life, the W.B. would last 8 seconds max. An organization exists that replaces NATO, the World Defense Organization or the WDO. It includes more worldwide members, such as Brazil, India, Arabia, Oceania, etc, hence its name. Another major military alliance exists, called the Moscow-Beijing People's Defensive Alliance, or the PDA. There are some other changes, but I can't go through all of them and I'm also simply too lazy.

Background ⮝

---

The idea of one nation uniting the entire Western Balkan region along with Cyprus arose somewhere in the mid 1970s during the Turkish invasion of Cyprus and after the overthrowing of the Greek military junta. However, it wasn't put into action until a unification referendum was held in 1982 from July 1st to August 1st in the four nations comprising the Western Balkans and Cyprus. There were 3 choices in the referendum. Yes, Unsure, In The Future, and No. The results of the referendum were as follows: In the Slavia, 78.8% voted yes, in favor. In Greece, 73.3% of the votes were yes. In Cyprus, 87.1% voted yes. In Albania, 70.6% stated yes. The total approval rating of an immediate unification with all votes combined was 75.7%. On August 23rd, it would be agreed that the four nations would unite into the Federal Republic of Western Balkania on July 1st, 1985. In the 3-year time before unifying, the four countries became increasingly close economically, socially, and culturally. The four nations formed the Western Balkan And Cyprus community, an intergovernmental organization, in order to prepare for unification and to integrate all members into one.

History ⮝

---

See main article: History of Western Balkans
Age Of Prosperity
The West Balkanian Age Of Prosperity is considered to be the time period from the founding of Western Balkania to the start of the Third Balkan War, where there was immense growth in the economy, standards of life, education, healthcare, etc. Two prime ministers oversaw this

Third Balkan War
The Third Balkan War was a war in the Balkan region of Europe fought between the W.B. and anti-communist revolutionaries against a Soviet-backed coalition including the E.B.F., The People's Republic of Hungary and temporarily, the Democratic Republic of Turkey. It lasted between June 6th 1998-August 26th 2000, a little over 2 years. War broke out on the morning of June 6th, 1998, when Nicolae Ceaușescu, Károly Grósz, and Erdal Sedef of the E.B.F., Hungary, and Turkey announced a "joint military operation for the people" to "respond to aggression by the Western Balkans and the West". Minutes later, missiles and airstrikes hit the W.B., including some in Belgrade, Zagreb, Sarajevo, and Athens. However, a large majority of these missiles and airstrikes were shot down by anti-air interception missiles. The missiles and airstrikes were shortly followed by a large ground invasion along multiple fronts. Prime Minister Vedran Lacković of Western Balkania declared martial law and a mobilization of male Western Balkan citizens between 20 and 50.

Initial offensives into Western Balkanian territory were successful, however, as the war progressed, the tides were turning in favor of the Western Balkans. Turkey surrendered 24 days after the start of the war, due to widespread civil unrest and the collapse of the entire Turkish military due to an anti-communist coup d'état and revolution, conceding Northern Cyprus and all islands in the Aegean to Western Balkania. The turning point of the war was considered the Battle of Novi Sad, which resulted in a devastating loss for Hungarian and East Balkan forces, despite outnumbering West Balkan forces 4 to 1. The territorial apex of W.B. during the war was on December 8th, 1998, a few days after the start of Operation Tirana. Following this, the coalition pushed back the Western Balkanian forces with immense aid by the P.D.A. On January 21st, 1999, the frontlines became extremely similar to the original borders before the war. The rest of the war was a stalemate, with no side being able to make any signifcant gains, eventually resulting in the war's end on August 26th, 2000, after all three leaders agreed to a white peace.

The invasion by the E.B.F. and Hungary was strongly condemned by the West and UN as a war of unreasonable aggression. Many countries imposed new sanctions against the coalition and nations in support of the Eastern Balkan Federation and Hungary, which severely affected the economies of the 2 and the entire world. The West provided humanitarian and military aid to the W.B., while the Eastern World did the same for the E.B.F. and Hungary, but to a much larger extent, fearful that if the Western Balkania won, the PDA would lose a foothold in southern Europe and spark revolutions across communist regimes. In January 1999, Grósz and Ceaușescu signed a law that would punish anyone who resists conscription with a 10-year sentence to a labor camp, as the People's Balkan Army and Hungarian People's Army were running short of manpower due to heavy casualties. After Ceaușescu announced that he would begin conscription from a pool of about 15 million eligible East Balkan residents, emigration from the country tripled.

The total number of military casualties during the Third Balkan War was nearly 1,950,000. Around 1,000,000 civilians died or were incapacitated directly or indirectly due to the war. Combined, the total casualties were around 2,950,000, the deadliest war in Europe since WW2. According to a declassified US intelligence assessment, The EBF and Hungary had lost 1,335,000 of the 1,500,000 troops that made up the Coalition's pre-invasion ground force, and 6,000 of the 7,500 tanks. Roughly 65%-75% of all total military casualties were of the coalition forces, with about 70%-85% of total civilian casualties coming from civilians of coalition nations.

The economy of Western Balkania was severely impacted during the war, with the nominal GDP in 1997 being 138% higher than in 2000. This was further exacterbated by the poor economic mismanagement of Dulin Hassan, which led to Western Balkania falling into an economic crisis during his leadership, with inflation rates soaring, reaching a maximum of 1862% in June 30th, 2002, which was the day before he was replaced by Sretomir Stefanović.

Second Age Of Prosperity Contemporary
The Second Age of Prosperity is considered the time when W.B. joined the European Union to Alexsander Broz Tito III taking power. During these years, the Western Balkanian GDP growth was the highest in Europe, with the average GDP growth rate from 2004-2018 being a staggering 10.1%. The Western Balkans is now considered to be the Singapore of Europe, as it became extremely prosperous within a short amount of time. In 2003, The West Balkan economy was considered developing, with only a GDP per capita of 17,382 USD, even lower than the Soviet Union and China. Before the Western Balkans was founded, Cyprus, Albania, Greece, and Slavia, were the in the list for the five poorest nations on the European continent. However, societal values, careful investments, competent leadership, and extraordinary economic management, catapulted the once poor, struggling nation, into one of the richest countries in the world, being extremely friendly to business and innovation whilst at the same time supporting a robust welfare state with a strong social safety net and UBI in place. The main person who oversaw and led this economic boom in the Western Balkans was Sretomir Stefanović, who was prime minister from 2003-2018. In general, he believed that social democracy and business-friendliness combined was the best way to lead an economy. His unique ideology, known as Sretomirianism, led the Western Balkans to wealth. Sretomir Stefanović also worked as an economist before he became Prime Minister, which was evident in his excellent economic administration. Sretomir Stefanović didn't just have an influence in his nation, new political parties in countries around the world have sprung up which share the same beliefs and values as Stefanović, such as the Social-Business-Economic Party in Germany, the New Economic Party in Quebec, the Prosperity Party in Nigeria, and many more.

Government and Politics ⮝

---

Western Balkania is a Federal Parliamentary Republic. The current Constitution has always been in effect since the founding of the nation and was created in 1983. It has been revised eight times, in 1991, thrice in 1998, and once in 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2022. It consists of 150 articles. (used to be 140 before 2022) It separates powers between the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government. It also guarantees numerous rights of residents, such as freedom of speech, expression, religion, and access to free education. In the Constitution, the people of the Western Balkans are technically the fourth branch of government and are said to be the most powerful of all, as they directly control all 3 proper branches. The Constitution was edited numerous times during the Third Balkan War in order to give the executive branch of government more power, with more immediate action being able to be used by the Prime Minister.

The head of the state is the Prime Minister, who is directly elected by the residents of the W.B., unlike in other parliamentary republics where prime ministers are selected by the majority party in parliament. Prime Ministers serve 3-year terms, with a maximum of 5 terms.

Legislative powers are exercised by the 500-member elected Western Balkan Federal Assembly. The W.B.F.A. is called an Assembly, but acts exactly like a parliament. Statutes passed by the Assembly are promulgated by the Prime Minister of the Republic. Assembly elections are held every three years, but the Prime Minster of the Federak Republic is obliged to dissolve the Assembly earlier on the proposal of the Cabinet, given dealing with a national issue of exceptional importance. The voting age is 16, and all eligible and able citizens must vote in elections for the executive branch, as it is considered a civil duty of all citizens in the Constitution.

According to the EIU's Democracy Index, the Western Balkans is a full democracy, with a score of 0.973, the 2nd highest in the world. The Western Balkans has the lowest corruption in the world according to the Corruption Perception Index, with a score of 94.

Political Parties
The political landscape has been dominated by four main parties. The Social Democratic-Business Party (Liberal-Conservative, SDBP), The Coalition of Conservatives (Conservative, CC), the Social Democratic Party (Social Democratic, SDP), the Progressives (Progressive Left, PE). There are also two other smaller parties which have held some seats in the Assembly, which are the Libertarian Party (Libertarian, LT), and the Patriots. (Nationalist, PTWB) The current Prime Minister, Aleksander Broz Tito III, is a member of the Social Democratic-Business Party, and is projected to again win the next election.

The Social Democratic-Business Party is the fastest-growing party in the Western Balkans, the largest party in the Western Balkans, and one of the most recently founded parties, being created by former Prime Minister Sretomir Stefanović on July 1, 2016. The SDBP has managed to more than increase it's seat count from 241 to 358 in the Assembly since the last Assembly election in 2024. The SDBP believes that social democracy can remain friendly and open to business whilst maintaining a robust welfare state with a UBI. The SDBP is notable for being founded by Sretomir Stefanović, who transformed the Western Balkans under his leadership and oversaw immense economic prosperity and growth.

The Coalition of Conservatives are a union of nine different conservative-aligned parties founded in 1995, September 2nd. Due to the SPD and Progressive dominated political landscape, these nine parties united into one party in order to have more power against the SDP and Progressives. Their influence and amount of seats in Parliament has remained stagnant, only growing by 1 seat from 2012 to now. The CC believes in a more deregulated economy, less welfare, a smaller tax which is also flat, upholding traditional and family values, decreased public spending, but increasing military and police spending. The CC is against same-sex marriage, abortion and LGBTQ.

The Social Democratic Party was historically always the dominant political party in the Western Balkans, excluding the period of nationalism in 1998-2009. It was also the first political party of the W.B., being founded the same day as the founding of the republic itself. The Social Democratic Party has been on a rapid decline in influence. From 2024 to 2012, the party has lost 153 seats in the Assembly. The SDP believes that the country should follow in the footsteps of Norway, Denmark, and Sweden. It believes that capitalism is good, but it has flaws, and the government should step in to prevent such flaws from affecting the population. It is fairly progressive, and supports things such as LGBT rights, same-sex marriage, and abortion.

The Progressives are a party founded on December 20, 2014 with similar views to the SDP. However, they focus more on civil rights, political freedoms, the environment and clean energy, social issues, and scientific advancement. The PS has been described as being more progressive and pro-peace, whilst being less militaristic compared to the SDP. The PS has historically almost always voted the same as the SDP on numerous bills and issues. The PS is a growing party, gaining 5 seats in the 2024 Assembly elections.

The Libertarian Party is a fairly small party, with only 8 seats in the Assembly. In 2012, the LT held 3 seats. The Libertarians believe in small government, low taxes, economic deregulation, non-interventionism, and free-market capitalism. They believe that government should only exist for national defense and law and order, and should have strict limitations to it's power. The party has been criticized for wanting to abolish welfare, but the chairs of the party along with it's supporters have stated that welfare won't be needed if the poorer class are barely taxed and encouraged to work hard by not relying on welfare.

The Patriots are the most rapidly decreasing party of the W.B. In 2000, the PTWB held 273 seats in the Assembly. In 2012, 68. In 2024, the party only holds a mere 2 seats in the Assembly. The PTWB has gone into bankruptcy six times. Once in 2015, 2019, 2021, twice in 2023, and most recently in 2024. The Patriots are a far-right party, and hold nationalist and militaristic views, and believe that the Western Balkans should be stronger and should be projected on the world stage. It is considered the most extreme political party with seats in Western Balkania, and the most extreme party with seats of an EU nation.

Foreign Relations
Western Balkanian foreign policy is conducted by the Western Balkan Department of Global Affairs and its minister, Johnathan Fras. The official aims of the Department are to represent the Western Balkans to other states and international alliances, defending interests of Western Balkan residents and of it's citizens abroad, promote the rich culture of the W.B., have greater relations of West Balkan diaspora, and to encourage peace and international cooperation with the Western Balkans. Western Balkania has "friendly relations" with United States of North America, all members of the EU, Nigeria, South Africa, Brazil, Israel, India, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines, Thailand, Arabia, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Mexico, Nile-Libya and the Oceanian Union. The greatest ally of the Western Balkans is considered to be Germany. In fact, Aleksander Broz Tito III was once seen giving a dap to German Chancellor Rayko Heldt.

The Department of Global Affairs has identified numerous issues of importance to the West Balkans: Turkish challenges to West Balkan sovereignty rights in the Aegean Sea and corresponding airspace, land disputes and border and air skirmishes with the EBF and Hungary, border, naval, and air skirmishes along the Turkish border and Aegean and EEZ around Cyprus, naval and air skirmishes with the People's Caliphate and the People's Republic of the Nile, PDP funding of communist revolutionaries in the W.B. and election interference, and restricted immigration to the W.B. by PDP members.

There is a long-standing conflict between Turkey and the Western Balkans over natural resources in the eastern Mediterranean. Turkey does not recognize a legal continental shelf and exclusive economic zone around the Greek islands and Cyprus.

Western Balkania has suspended diplomatic ties with the following countries; The Eastern Balkan Federation, Hungary, and The People’s Islamic Republic.

Due to its political and geographical proximity to Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, along with important locations for international trade such as the Bosphorus Strait and the Suez Canal, the W.B. is a country of extremely significant geostrategic importance, which it has leveraged to develop itself as the dominant power in the region. This has accorded the country as a significant power status in global affairs.

Western Balkania is a key member of numerous international organizations, including the Council of Europe, the European Union, the Union for the Mediterranean, the World Defense Organization, the G7, G20, OECD and the United Nations.

Military
The West Balkan Defense Forces are overseen by the Hellenic National Defense General Staff, with civilian authority vested in the Department of National Defense. It consists of five branches:

West Balkan Army
West Balkan Navy
West Bakan Air Force
West Balkan Specialized Forces
West Balkan Space Division

The W.B. maintains the West Balkan Coast Guard for law enforcement at sea, search and rescue, and port operations. Though it can support the navy during wartime, it resides under the authority of the Department of Trade and Shipping.

The Western Balkan military has a personnel total of 1,064,550, of whom 396,250 are active and 668,300 are in reserve. The W.B. has the 6th largest combined armed forces in the world, despite it's fairly low population. Mandatory military service exists, with 20 to 55 year olds needing to receive at least one year of military training, regardless of gender. The Western Balkans is a nuclear power, and possesses 2,568 nuclear bombs, the 4th most in the world, behind China.

As a member of the WDO, the Western Balkan military participates in exercises and deployments under the auspices of the alliance, and is very well involved in WDO operations and missions. the W.B. spends about $150 billion annually on it's military per year, or 7.4 percent of it's GDP, the 5th-highest in the world in absolute terms, the third-highest on a per capita basis, and the 2nd highest in % of GDP in the WDO. Moreover, Western Balkania is one of only six WDO countries to meet or surpass the minimum defense spending target of 2% of GDP. The Western Balkans has been ranked eight years in a row as the most militarized country in the world, with a Global Militarization Index score of 391, and has been nicknamed "The Fortress Of Europe" by numerous media outlets and has gained a significant reputation on the world stage for it's militarization and massive defense budget when compared to it's GDP.

Law Enforcement and Crime
There are 4 West Balkanian police agencies in W.B. Law and order is mainly enforced at a regional or national level. The regional police departments have authority in their respective regions, and the federal police agency, the Western Balkan Department of National Investigation and Policing (DNIP) has national jurisdiction and specialized duties, such as protecting civil rights, national security and enforcing Western Balkan federal court rulings and federal law. Regional courts conduct most civil and criminal trials, and federal courts handle designated crimes and appeals of state court decisions.

As of April 2024, the Western Balkans has one of the lowest per-capita incarceration rates in the world, at only 39 people per 100,000. An analysis of the World Health Organization Mortality Database from 2022 showed W.B. homicide rates "were 3 times lower than in other high-income countries, driven by cultural standards and content civilians."

Regions and Provinces

Slavia/Slavic Region

1: Slovenia

2: Croatia

3: Serbia

3A: Autonomous Vojvodina (Serbia)

3B: Autonomous Montenegro (Serbia)

4: Bosnia

6: Macedonia

Albania/Albanian Region

5: Albania

Greece/Hellenic Region

7: Greece

8: Cyprus

Economy ⮝

---

West Balkan residents enjoy one of the highest GDP per capitas among European countries only behind Norway and the Netherlands. According to the CIA World Factbook, the W.B. is a net external creditor of debt. Norway is sixth place in the world in the UNDP Human Development Index (HDI), and has constantly been rising. The standard of living in Norway is among one of the highest in the world. Foreign Policy magazine ranks the West Balkans fourth to last in its Failed States Index for 2024, judging the WBF to be one of the world's most well-functioning and stable nations. The OECD ranks the Western Balkans seventh in the 2013 equalized Better Life Index and fifth in intergenerational earnings elasticity.

The Western Balkan economy is a mixed economy. It is a combination of a free-market, capitalist welfare state, and large state ownership in certain industries and sectors, such as in energy and transportation. Public healthcare in the W.B. is free for all, and parents have up to 24 weeks of paid parental leave. The Western Balkans has an unemployment rate of 2.8%, with 79% of the population aged 15–74 employed. People in the labor force are either employed or currently looking for work. 7.5% of the population aged 18–66 receive a disability pension, and 24% of the labor force is employed by the government, one of the highest percentages in the OECD. The hourly productivity levels, as well as average hourly wages in the W.B., are one of the highest in the world. The W.B. has directly taken economic inspiration from Norway and Denmark. Tourism is one of the largest sectors of the economy, as it the 3rd most visited country in the entire world, with about 74 million tourists visiting the country annually and also receiving the most revenue on a per-visitor basis in the world. The W.B. is the fastest-growing economy in Europe, with a mean GDP growth rate of 3.1% from 2010-24. The year with the highest economic growth in 2010-2024 was 2010, with an outstanding 11.8% growth rate.

The egalitarian values of West Balkanian society have kept the wage difference between the lowest paid workers and the CEO of most companies much less than in comparable western economies. This is also evident in Western Balkania's low Gini coefficient.

The state has large ownership positions in key economic sectors, such as the petroleum sector (Vikir), hydroelectric energy production (Hydro-Električni), aluminium production (Valkanikó Aluminium), the largest West Balkan bank (WNB), and telecommunication provider (Daljinski). Through these massive companies, the government controls approximately 30% of the stock values at the Belgrade Stock Exchange. When non-listed companies are included, the state has even higher share in ownership (mainly from direct oil license ownership). The West Balkans is a major shipping nation and has the world's fourth largest merchant fleet, with 2,212 West Balkan-owned merchant vessels.

Despite being a social democracy, West Balkania is considered one of the most business-friendly and open countries in the world, with many companies in the EU moving to the West Balkans. The Western Balkans ranked second in the Global Competitiveness Report in 2019, after Singapore. While its economy has reached a post-industrial level of development, the West Balkans remains an industrial power. As of 2021, the W.B. is the seventh-largest manufacturing country after France.

Industry
The Western Balkans
Transportation
Tourism
With 68 million tourist arrivals each year, tourism is a large sector of the Western Balkan economy. The W.B. receives the 4th most tourists in the world, behind the United States, Spain, and France. In 2024, international visitors brought over $82 billion to the economy, and the West Balkans are becoming an increasingly more popular destination for tourism, with the number of international visitors growing 5.2% each year since 2021, the highest tourism growth rate in the world. The most popular destinations for tourists are; Greek Macedonia, Athens, Thessaloniki, Belgrade, and Zagreb. 53% of visitors go to Greece and Cyprus. There are 52 historical UNESCO world heritage sites in the Western Balkans, with 23 of those being in Greece or Cyprus alone. Santorini, a popular tourist destination in the Greece, is ranked as the world's best island in a majority of travel websites and magazines.

Science and Technology
The Western Balkan's development of cutting-edge technologies in software, electronics, renewable energy, communications, and other fields in science have evoked numerous comparisons with Silicon Valley. The W.B. possesses the highest expenditure on research and development as % of GDP, at 7.1%. It is ranked 5th in the Global Innovation Index in 2023, and 5th in the 2019 Bloomberg Innovation Index. Western Balkania has 211 scientists, technicians, and engineers per 10,000 workers, by far the highest number in the world. It has produced twenty-three Nobel Prize-winning scientists since 2004 and has been frequently ranked as having the highest ratios of scientific papers per capita.

In 2020, the W.B. was ranked 3rd in the world by the Futron's Space Competitiveness Index. The West Balkan Space Agency coordinates all West Balkan space research programs with scientific and commercial goals, and has designed and built at least 78 commercial, research, and spy satellites. Some West Balkanian satellites are ranked among the world's most advanced space systems, even beating NASA in many cases. Olympia is a space launch vehicle produced by the W.B.S.A. to launch small satellites into low Earth orbit. It was first launched in 1985, three days after the founding of the union, making Western Balkania the sixth nation to have a space launch capability, despite it's young age as a country. In 1986, Demir Bajraktarević became the Western Balkan's first astronaut, serving on the mission of Space Shuttle Balkania.

Energy
The W.B. has embraced renewable energy; its engineers are on the cutting edge of solar, wind, hydro, and geothermal technologies and its renewable energy companies work on projects around the world. 99% of West Balkan homes use solar energy for hot water, the highest per capita. According to government figures, the country saves 8% of its electricity consumption per year because of its solar energy use in heating. The high annual incident solar irradiance in Greece and Cyprus creates ideal conditions for what is an internationally renowned solar research and development industry in the Negev Desert. Israel has a modern electric car infrastructure involving a countrywide network of charging stations, and has the 2nd most electric cars per capita, behind Norway. The largest electric car company, Stellantia, is owned by the Western Balkan government, and has created the most innovative and advanced electric cars in the world.

Demographics ⮝
Population

---

The Western Balkans is the only country in southern Europe with a growing population, despite having a low birthrate of 1.53 births per woman. This is substituted for high levels of immigration, as the W.B. has had the highest level of immigration in Europe since 2015. This is due to its close proximity to poorer, war-torn and underdeveloped nations such as Turkey, the E.B.F., Hungary and Libya, Syria, and Iraq. The W.B. is an appealing choice for migrants due to its large welfare state and fully implemented universal basic income, constitutional rights to free access of basic needs, high quality of life, constitutional defended rights of freedom of speech, religion, and expression, opportunities for business, cultural diversity, and more. Muslim asylum seekers are especially drawn into the W.B. due to the high prevalence of Islam in Albania and Bosnia.

Education
West Balkan universities are ranked among the top 50 world universities in computer science, (Ex: Belgrade University), mathematics (Ex: Greek University of Athens), chemistry, (Ex: Broz Zagreb Institute of Science), and overall. (Ex: Macedon Institute Of STEM and Arts) Residents of the Western Balkans have one of the highest average IQ scores, at 103.23, by far the highest in Europe. The W.B. is renowned for its efficient and high-quality education system, having the 2nd highest score in the Education Index, only barely behind Iceland. The W.B. has the most students studying abroad in it's many universities compared to any other country, with 180,000 foreign students coming to the W.B. each year for education. Greeks especially have a long tradition of valuing and investing in education, which was upheld as one of the highest societal values in ancient Greek and Hellenistic world. 94%

Geography ⮝

---

The W.B. is located in the Balkan Peninsula which occupies the Western half of it, with the mainland spanning from the Pannonian Plain to the Peloponnese peninsula. It is located in Southeast and Central Europe, bordering five countries; Italy, Germany, Hungary, the EBF, and Turkey. Greece, a region of the nation, has always been a strategically important area, as it is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa and is near the Bosphorus Strait.
Climate
Environment
Most Extreme Points of The West Balkans:
Northern: Budinci, Slovenia
Eastern: Kildes Island, Cyprus
Southern: Akiroti, Cyprus
Western: Piran, Slovenia

Culture ⮝

---

The two largest sports in the W.B. are football, basketball, and boxing. The Western Balkans has managed to create numerous world class athletes, such as Giannis Antetokompnyyo, Luka Doncic, Nikola Kostic,

See Also ⮝[/font]