The European Union should urgently develop a new vision for the Western Balkans and make enlargement one of its priorities, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Tuesday.
Meloni spoke in a video message during a conference in Trieste titled “Italy and the Western Balkans: Growth and Integration”, organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the initiative of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Vice-President Prime Minister Antonio Tajani.
The conference is part of the government’s program to accelerate the accession process of Western Balkan countries and “bring more Italy” to the region through investments in “strategic sectors”.
“The (Italian) government is there and is ready to play its role to strengthen the presence of Italian companies in the Balkans,” Meloni stressed.
The event brought together various stakeholders such as Enac, the Italian Civil Aviation Authority, Fincantieri, the country’s shipbuilding company, and Intesa SanPaolo bank.
During the conference, Tajani explained that the government intends to encourage investments by Italian companies in the Western Balkans so as not to leave room for other countries that could benefit from economic growth opportunities.
“If we are present politically, with our companies but also with our peacekeeping troops, there is no danger that others will occupy the space. It’s not just Russia, many are interested in the Balkans. This is why Italy and Europe must be more present,” Tajani said.
This was echoed by the general president of Fincantieri, Claudio Graziano.
“Either the Balkan countries become strongly European, or they risk falling into the game of other powers. If you go to the Balkans today, you find strong Turkish communities, strong Chinese interests and Russian penetration.”
Stability in the Western Balkans is also crucial to solving the problem of irregular migration, as flows pass through the region from Turkey.
Tajani also stressed that the government wants the region to be “in the European orbit” and on the European market. An issue which “has unfortunately slowed down in recent years because it was not considered a priority by certain European countries”, but which has regained its relevance thanks to Ukraine, declared the Italian ambassador in Serbia, Luca Gori.
European Enlargement Commissioner Olivier Varhelyi also spoke at the event, calling on Italy to “promote itself more strongly” in the Western Balkans and within the EU.
The objective of developing local economies and creating new employment opportunities in the Balkans as well as in Italy is possible “through trade liberalization, the elimination of trade barriers and the promotion of investments in countries in the Western Balkans,” said Italian Undersecretary for Economy Sandra Savino.
Trade between Italy and the Western Balkan countries amounts to 14 billion euros, notably with Croatia and Slovenia, members of the EU, the candidates for membership of Montenegro, Macedonia of North and Albania, as well as with potential candidates Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
(Federica Pascale | EURACTIV.it)
