TIRANA – Prime ministers and presidents of the Western Balkans met yesterday in the Albanian capital for a regional summit on economic cooperation. Political issues were also discussed on the sidelines.
The summit was hosted by Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and European Enlargement Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi. It preceded the June Council meetings, which are expected to decide on the EU accession progress of certain WB countries, as well as the summit of the Berlin process on July 5.
Besides the hosts, Prime Ministers Ana Brnabic of Serbia, Albin Kurti of Kosovo and Zoran Zaev of North Macedonia, as well as President of Montenegro Milo Dukanović and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina Zoran Tegeltija participated in the meeting .
Várhelyi: regional cooperation will bring 30 billion euros of investments to the region
European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi told a joint press conference with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama that regional cooperation would bring an investment plan of 30 billion euros in Western Balkans. Euronews Albania reports.
Good exchange with #WesternBalkans leaders in Tirana to advance our common agenda. @Commission_EU has invested nearly 30 billion euros in the economic and investment plan, or a third of the region’s GDP. Implementation is now essential: with the agreement of IPA III, we are ready, it is important that the region is also ready. pic.twitter.com/QbPmvHIGg0
– Olivier Varhelyi (@OliverVarhelyi) June 10, 2021
“We are ready to reconfirm our commitment and commitment that we put on the table with the economic and investment plan. A plan that we have been demonstrating since the fall mobilizes a third of the regions’ GDP. Nearly 30 billion euros in the form of investments that will come to the region. This plan will not work if the region itself does not function as a whole and if we do not have a regional market,” the commissioner said.
He stressed that the topics discussed at the meeting would be raised again at the Berlin Process summit in July.
“We are already seeing the first result arriving, which changes the lives of citizens, with the launch of the free roaming zone, ‘Roam like at home’ – we have it in the European Union – for the entire Balkan region Western countries,” Várhelyi said.
He added that there was still much to come: citizens traveling with ID cards, mutual acceptance of diplomas, abolition of work permits, facilitation of e-commerce.
“This cooperation in the Western Balkans has a lot to offer, this regional market can offer a lot to the people of the Western Balkans,” the commissioner said.
Prime Minister Rama said that the objective of this summit is to highlight the embodiment of the four European freedoms.
While emphasizing that he agreed with Hungary on free movement without additional responsibilities, Rama said that all participating countries have brought to the European Commission and the EU the issue of green digital or the vaccine passport held by our citizens, whose validity we request. EU member states must officially recognize this.
The Common Regional Market initiative, launched last year, could soon be transferred from the Berlin process to the European Commission, Rama and Várhelyi said.
Kurti and Brnabić dispute Kosovo’s statehood
During the summit, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti called for the regional economic agreement CEFTA to be amended so that Kosovo is recognized as an independent state, Serbian Radio and Television reported.
According to RTS, the Serbian Prime Minister “reminded Kurti that Kosovo is not a member of the UN and is not recognized by five EU members.” She said the meeting was difficult and an attempt by Pristina to distract from the main issues.
Kosovo Prime Minister Kurti later explained what his proposal was Euronews Albania.
“My proposal is to move from CEFTA to SEFTA. It is the right solution that raises our ambitions and our regional cooperation, and is in line with EU values, including parity between our states,” Kurti said.
Additionally, Kurti spoke to the media about a dispute with Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic during the summit.
He explained that the debate took place after the Serbian Prime Minister refused to accept that Kosovo was an independent and sovereign country.
“There was a kind of debate, let’s say, because she didn’t want to accept that Kosovo was an independent and sovereign state. I stressed that Serbia must distance itself from the regime of Slobodan Milosevic, because there is no other solution than the recognition of the independence of the Republic of Kosovo,” he said.
Brnabic also met Várhelyi on the sidelines of the event.
“We discussed EU membership process Serbia in the context of the revised enlargement methodology. Significant progress has been made and I look forward to the next intergovernmental conference in June,” the Commissioner tweeted.
