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SARAJEVO: The European Union plans to help Western Balkan countries pursue reforms needed for integration with rich bloc with 6 billion euros investmentTHE EU » declared the President of the Executive, Ursula von der Leyen, in Skopje on Monday.
North Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo, Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina must all seize the ‘window of opportunity’ of EU enlargement and work to align their standards with those of the bloc, said von der Leyen.
Von der Leyen said the EU’s new growth plan for the region would include opening its common market to Western Balkan countries in areas such as the free movement of goods and services, transport and energy. He also urged countries to open a common regional market and pursue necessary reforms.
North Macedonia, for example, needs to reform its business environment, create an efficient public administration, have healthy public finances and improve the fight against corruption. He must also amend the constitution to recognize Bulgarians as a minority, as requested by Bulgaria to allow the country to join the EU.
“These reforms will be accompanied by investments,” von der Leyen said at a news conference with North Macedonian Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski at the start of his tour of the Western Balkans.
“We have proposed a package of 6 billion euros ($6.34 billion) for Western Balkan partners,” she said.
Von der Leyen said the EU was ready to start disbursing 100 million euros in microfinancial aid, but “we have to do more, we have to bring our economies closer together”, since the economies of the Western Balkan countries make up around 42 % of EU average income.
“What we want to do together is double your economy over the next decade,” she said.
After receiving the promise of EU membership years ago, the accession process in the region has slowed down, mainly due to reluctance among the bloc’s 27 members and a lack of reforms across the region.
Serbia and Montenegro were the first in the region to launch EU accession talks, and Albania and North Macedonia subsequently began negotiations with Brussels last year. Bosnia and Kosovo, however, remain far behind their neighbors in this process.
North Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo, Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina must all seize the ‘window of opportunity’ of EU enlargement and work to align their standards with those of the bloc, said von der Leyen.
Von der Leyen said the EU’s new growth plan for the region would include opening its common market to Western Balkan countries in areas such as the free movement of goods and services, transport and energy. He also urged countries to open a common regional market and pursue necessary reforms.
North Macedonia, for example, needs to reform its business environment, create an efficient public administration, have healthy public finances and improve the fight against corruption. He must also amend the constitution to recognize Bulgarians as a minority, as requested by Bulgaria to allow the country to join the EU.
“These reforms will be accompanied by investments,” von der Leyen said at a news conference with North Macedonian Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski at the start of his tour of the Western Balkans.
“We have proposed a package of 6 billion euros ($6.34 billion) for Western Balkan partners,” she said.
Von der Leyen said the EU was ready to start disbursing 100 million euros in microfinancial aid, but “we have to do more, we have to bring our economies closer together”, since the economies of the Western Balkan countries make up around 42 % of EU average income.
“What we want to do together is double your economy over the next decade,” she said.
After receiving the promise of EU membership years ago, the accession process in the region has slowed down, mainly due to reluctance among the bloc’s 27 members and a lack of reforms across the region.
Serbia and Montenegro were the first in the region to launch EU accession talks, and Albania and North Macedonia subsequently began negotiations with Brussels last year. Bosnia and Kosovo, however, remain far behind their neighbors in this process.
