The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said in Tirana that at the summit of the Berlin Process, she presented the leaders with a new growth plan for the Western Balkans, which has the potential to double the size of the region’s economy in this decade.
At the end of the Berlin Process summit in Tirana, the first to be organized in a country that is not a member of the European Union, von der Leyen said that she proposed a package of EUR 6 billion, the realization of which will depend on the implementation of reforms.
This was a very successful summit, but it is necessary to further bring our economies closer together and speed up the reforms in the EU accession process. That’s why I presented the leaders with a new growth plan, which, if implemented, has the potential to double the size of the Western Balkan economies in this decade – said Von der Leyen.
The four pillars of the growth plan for the Western Balkans
The first pillar is the introduction of the Western Balkans into the EU single market. This actually opens the door to the single EU market for Western Balkan companies in seven key areas, including customs cooperation, e-commerce, cashless payments, roaming – said Von der Leyen.
She stated that the second pillar implies that the entities in the Western Balkans must complete the establishment of a single regional market, which, according to her, would raise the region’s gross domestic product by 10%.
The third pillar is reforms, which are also necessary for the entry of the Western Balkans into the EU single market and which would bring the region closer to membership in the Union and make it more attractive to European investors. Today, the economies of the Western Balkans are at 35% of the EU average, and we have a lot of work ahead of us – she added.
The fourth pillar, according to Von der Leyen, implies increased EU allocations for the Western Balkans, on the condition that the six entities of that region implement the necessary reforms.
We proposed an investment package of EUR 6 billion, of which two billion are in grants and four in the form of loans. The funds will be sent if the reforms are implemented – she stated.
Expansion
Asked about 2030 as a possible date for EU enlargement, Von der Leyen said that joining the Union was a “merit-based process” and that candidate countries could not become members if they had not implemented the necessary reforms.
There cannot be a fixed date, regardless of the degree of implemented reforms and the preparedness of candidates for membership. That will never be acceptable to member countries. The methodology we have adopted means that accession must be earned – said Von der Leyen.
German Chancellor Scholz called on the six Western Balkans to “get ready” for joining the EU, stating that the entities must cooperate more closely with each other in order to achieve that goal.
There is no way that would lead past regional cooperation and permanent resolution of conflicts, which have been going on for too long. The future of the Western Balkans is in the EU. That promise is valid, and it is valid today more than ever – said Solz.
Climate partnership
Scholz also announced a climate partnership with the Western Balkans, saying that by 2030, Germany will help combat climate change and the use of renewable energy in the region with around EUR 1.5 billion. In addition, the German government will provide EUR 73 million for a new renewable energy program in Albania.
Albanian Prime Minister Rama said that the summit took place in a “true sense of friendship” and expressed his gratitude to Scholz and Von der Leyen for everything they are doing to bring the region and the EU closer together.
Bearing in mind successive crises, the latest of which is the war between Israel and Hamas, the challenges we face together are huge, but they have strengthened our friendship, cooperation and sense of community – said Rama.
As part of the Berlin Process summit, leaders from the Western Balkans signed the Agreement on the Recognition of Professional Qualifications in the Western Balkans for four new professions – nurses, veterinarians, pharmacists and midwives.
In Tirana, as part of the summit, the third campus of the College of Europe was also officially opened, which the present leaders of the European Union welcomed as a move with great symbolic significance.
Both Von der Leyen and the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, expressed the hope that the opening of the College of Europe campus in Albania is a harbinger of the entry of the Western Balkans into the EU.
The Berlin Process is a format of annual meetings that the German government, during the time of Chancellor Angela Merkel, initiated in 2014 when the Conference on the Western Balkans was held in Berlin.
The goal of the process is to speed up cooperation with the six countries of the Western Balkans and the integration of that region into the EU. The initiative mainly focuses on solving bilateral and internal problems in the region and improving economic cooperation, which would be the basis of the sustainable development of the region.
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