This publication is based on a Sigma paper and on reports by EU Member States prepared in 2005 at the request of several new Member States. The original paper and some Member State reports were then used as background documentation for a Sigma workshop for countries in the CARDS region on the role of ministries in policy systems, held in November 2005. This revised version of the paper, prepared after the workshop, includes as an annex a summary of insights from EU Member States as well as comparative information concerning the CARDS region, which was gathered during the workshop on the basis of a questionnaire. This publication presents the steps in the policy process and offers a framework for assessing and developing the role of ministries in the policy process, as well as insights on how the policy process is currently organised in Western Balkan countries. Its contents complement the information provided in a previous Sigma paper, which had emphasised the structure and work of the government secretariat.