We are delighted to introduce the first issue of our ACM Briefs, published in July 2021. These Policy Briefs are a part of the bigger project funded by the Balkan Trust for Democracy (GMF) and USAID aimed at providing laser-sharp insights into the political and social trends in the region, strengthen dialogue, present concrete policy recommendations regarding pressing international and security issues in the Western Balkans. The purpose of this specific Policy Brief is to provide an overview of the current Western Balkan position in the European and Euro-Atlantic affairs, countries’ aspirations towards EU integration, and the EU’s standing regarding the region’s future. The political, economic, and societal implications of the coronavirus pandemic together with the new U.S. Administration in the House, global power centers’ shift followed by a stronger geopolitical influence of Russian and Chinese authoritarian regimes and Europe’s attempt to navigate the changing international order, rising nationalism, and receding democracy can all destabilize the region and slow down the Western Balkan countries’ path toward the EU and NATO.