Leaders of the Western Balkan countries agreed on Thursday to accelerate regional cooperation to benefit more from the European Union’s new financial aid plan, which provides a faster path to membership.
Brussels’ plan calls for sending around $6.5 billion to the Balkans over the next three years to double their economies over the next decade and accelerate efforts to join the Balkans. That aid is conditional on reforms that bring their economies in line with EU rules.
Balkan leaders have welcomed the plan, but the reform agenda is difficult to implement.
US Secretary of State supports Western Balkan countries towards European Union integration
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, who hosted the summit in Tirana, said the new growth plan was “a truly encouraging outcome of a friendly and open exchange of views”.
“This new opportunity with an original plan not only means that the EU recognizes our decade-long efforts to build a common future against the winds of the past, but also that we It also challenges us to show that we are ready for a common future ‘Europe’s destiny,’ he said in his opening speech.
Six countries in the region (Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia) are at various stages of applying for membership, but residents have complained about the slowness of the process. Croatia became the last country to be admitted as a member of the EU in 2013.
Western Balkan leaders and other officials pose for a photo after a summit in Tirana, Albania, February 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Armando Babani)
EU Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi said the European Commission aims to halve the implementation time of its new “ambitious” plan.
Valheli told reporters that the Western Balkan countries had agreed to take concrete steps this year, including unifying financial regulations. Rama said banking transaction costs for countries in the region have increased six times and the new rules will save $540 million.
The six countries also pledged to adapt customs regulations and establish joint border crossings similar to EU member states.
It also set goals such as setting up research and development centers for industry and installing free Wi-Fi in public places.
“But in order to move this forward, the region also needs to move forward, and that means implementing the reforms necessary to make this plan work and work,” Varhelyi said.
Thursday’s meeting was attended by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, North Macedonian Prime Minister Talat Šaferi, and Bosnia-Herzegovina Council of Ministers President Borjana Cristo. Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti was scheduled to send an online message. There was no representative from Montenegro.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Varhelyi was accompanied by senior officials from the European Commission and representatives from international financial institutions.
Mr Rama said bilateral disputes should not interfere with the implementation of growth plans.
Serbia does not recognize Kosovo’s independence in 2008, and recent tensions between the two countries have caused concern among Western countries. Both countries say they want to join the EU, but the EU warns that their refusal to compromise is jeopardizing their chances.
