Thewesternbalkans
Leaders of the Western Balkans and representatives from EU and the USA met on May 16 at the Summit in Kotor organized under the slogan “One region, common vision”.
The main purpose of the summit was to deliberate on the EU Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, aimed at accelerating socio-economic development and fostering closer ties with the EU. The fund, comprising 2 billion euros in grants and 4 billion euros in favorable loans, is conditional on the implementation of comprehensive reforms, particularly in upholding democratic mechanisms, rule of law, and fundamental rights.
Oliver Várhelyi, European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, said “the growth plan is no longer a draft, it is a reality we have started to implement”. According to him “because of the development plan and the intensity of aid from the economic and investment plan, the reform agenda, and additional financial aid until 2027, the Balkans will be ready…or could make itself ready to join the EU”.
Assistant US Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, James O’Brien, who also took part in the summit, said the priorities of the plan are to reduce costs, facilitate market movement, and create jobs. O’Brien added that access to the Single European Payment Area (SEPA), an EU payment initiative aimed at simplification of bank transfers in euros, would reduce the cost of borrowing, which will allow businesses to expand.
Among the participants were also Borjana Krišto, Prime Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albin Kurti, Prime Minister of Kosovo, Edi Rama, Prime Minister of Albania, Aleksandar Vučić, President of Serbia and Talat Džaferi, Prime Minister of North Macedonia.
Comment: The Summit in Kotor demonstrated the EU’s renewed commitment to the Western Balkans and provided a platform for these nations to align their policies more closely with EU standards, facilitating a smoother eventual integration into the Union.
The set of tools that the European Commission developed, almost at the end of its mandate, to support the EU accession path of the Western Balkan countries which includes the new enlargement methodology, the Economic and Investment Plan, the Growth Plan provides an opportunity for the Western Balkans to receive the same or comparable level of aid intensity as EU current Cohesion and Structural Funds beneficiary Member States by 2027.
Тhe strong and unequivocal message sent by Commissioner Várhelyi and O’Brien at this summit is that the countries of the Western Balkans have been given unprecedented financial aid and economic incentives to carry out the necessary reforms concerning the fight against corruption and the rule of law, and they will have no excuse if they fail by 2027.
For Serbia and Kosovo, remains a precondition – “constructive engagement in the normalization of relations to fully implement all obligations arising from the Agreement on the path to normalization and its Implementation Annex from Ohrid, as well as from all previous agreements reached in the Brussels dialogue.”
