05.07.2021 – 19:27
Today, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi attended the Western Balkans Summit in the context of the so-called ‘Berlin Process’. The Summit brought together for the eighth time the Heads of State or Government from the Western Balkans and their counterparts from nine EU Member States, high-level representatives of the EU and the United Kingdom, to advance their regional co-operation and the European integration agenda. The virtual meeting was organized by Chancellor Merkel.
During the Summit, the Commission reaffirmed its commitment to cooperation and support for the region in post-pandemic recovery through the Economic and Investment Plan, focusing on green and digital transition investments, smart mobility links, sustainable energy, digital infrastructure and business development. of the sector and human capital, including youth. The Commission also called for further progress in the region’s economic integration to reap the full benefits of the planned investments.
President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, in her opening remarks, said: “Our first priority is to accelerate the enlargement agenda throughout the region and to support our Western Balkan partners in their work to carry out the necessary reforms to advance in their Europe. street. But our engagement with the Western Balkans goes beyond that, and the Berlin Process has served as an incubator for many initiatives that have now become an integral part of EU policy towards the region. “Together we have set the course for a more sustainable, digital and resilient Europe.”
Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement, Olivér Várhelyi, stressed: “Closing the socio-economic gap between the Western Balkans and the EU is essential to the Enlargement process. We are bringing significant investment opportunities to the region through the Economic and Investment Plan. It is now up to the region to make good use of them to its full economic potential and to establish a Common Regional Market based on EU rules. Creating ‘Green Lines’ at border crossings within the whole region first, and now piloting this with an EU Member State is a perfect illustration of how this might work.
Today’s summit focused on the progress made by the region in economic integration under the Common Regional Market Action Plan from the Sofia Summit last year 2020 and on the implementation of the Economic and Investment Plan presented by the Commission last autumn.
Following the facilitation of border crossing logistics during the pandemic, through the creation of the so-called ‘Green Tracks’, this initiative is now entering a new phase. Greece expressed its political will to support the extension of the ‘Green Lanes’ initiative in the Western Balkans and the commitment to work towards its implementation at the designated border crossing points between Greece and the neighboring countries of the Western Balkans – Albania and Northern Macedonia.
This year’s summit was also an opportunity to celebrate the full entry into force on 1 July 2021 of the Regional Roaming Agreement, which is removing roaming tariffs within the region. The next step under preparation is a path to the gradual abolition of roaming tariffs between the Western Balkans and the EU.
For the implementation of the Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans, the Commission announced that it intends to propose an investment package of € 500 million in 2021. The package will be dedicated to the main projects under the Plan, subject to the approval of the new framework for the Instrument of Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA III) expected in the coming months.
Moreover, following the EU decision to consider the entire Western Balkans six among those for whom travel restrictions should be lifted, and in order to further help the Western Balkans to mitigate the economic and social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic , a package of financial and technical support will be provided to the Western Balkans to join the EU Digital Certificate COVID-19. This will facilitate travel between the Western Balkans and the EU.
The Berlin Summit is part of the Berlin Process, an initiative of several EU Member States, led by Germany, to engage with the six partners of the Western Balkans and to promote regional co-operation and the European perspective of the region. It consists of annual summits and a series of ministerial meetings. In 2021, after seven years, the Summit returned to Berlin. The Commission and the EEAS participate in ministerial meetings and summits, as do major international financial institutions, and several regional and international organizations. The future of the Berlin Process will be discussed by the leaders at the Berlin Summit, with concrete decisions to be taken at a later date.
Following the € 3.3 billion bailout package announced in 2020 specifically to help address the COVID-19 crisis and its aftermath, the Commission’s main framework for supporting the region’s economic recovery is the Economic and Investment Plan for the Balkans. Western. The plan envisions mobilizing up to 9 billion euros in grant financing over the next seven years and 20 billion euros in loans, utilized by the new Western Balkans Guarantee Facility.
The Economic and Investment Plan approved by the Commission in October 2020, covers major projects in the areas of green and digital transition (including the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans), intelligent mobility, sustainable energy, private sector support and human capital development of the region to prevent further brain drain. An important cross-sectoral theme of the plan is the development of the rule of law and public administration reform to provide a sustainable ground for investment and growth and social inclusion, especially in relation to the Roma population.
An essential element of the Berlin Economic and Investment Plan and Process, the Common Regional Market agreed by the Western Balkan Leaders in Sofia in November 2020, is an ambitious project of regional economic integration, aiming to turn the region into an area of free movement of people, goods, services and capital, based on the example and EU standards. This will not only unlock the economic potential of the entire region and make it a more attractive investment destination, but will also bring it closer to the EU.
