Abstract
Since its outbreak in the beginning of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly affected the world of work. In response, countries have taken public health interventions and adopted economic stimulus measures. This report comparatively reviews the national social security measures in response to COVID-19 crisis, analyse their effectiveness and long-term consequences, and discuss future challenges in improving the social security system. The report covers seven countries in the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Ukraine.