BRATISLAVA, MAY 31 (ONASA) – The European Union has a new plan for the Western Balkans, a plan whose main goal is to bring the Balkans closer to the European Union before full membership in the European Union, which will be based on four pillars, the President of the European Commission Ursula announced today von der Leyen during his address at the Globsec forum in Bratislava.
Von der Leyen believes that this plan will help to move the Western Balkans further away from Russia and even closer to the European Union, but will also bring new benefits for all citizens of the region.
“If we finally understand that it is not enough just to wait for friends outside the Union to approach us, it is not enough to say that the door is open to us. We must also take responsibility for the ambitious members of our Union to come much closer to us. The shock waves sent by Putin’s war of aggression also affected the six countries of the Western Balkans. But this only brought us closer. We extended to the Western Balkans the same solidarity measures that we took within our Union. We supported vulnerable households against high energy costs. We are building new infrastructure to reduce the dependence of the Western Balkans on Russian fossil fuels. And this practical cooperation runs parallel to the progress on the way to the EU. The recent tensions are, of course, worrying. I call on all parties to step back from the conflict and to take measures to restore calm,” von der Leyen said.
The four pillars on which this plan will be based are: getting closer to the EU single market, strengthening the regional common market, accelerating reforms and increasing the Union’s allocation of pre-accession funds for the countries of the region.
“The growth plan that we propose today is built on four pillars, first, in order to bring the Western Balkans closer to the EU single market. Second, deepening regional economic integration. Third, speed up fundamental reforms. And fourth, increase pre-accession funds. To some extent, this is a new approach to the European Union. We not only ask our partners to take new steps towards us, but we also take a big step towards them. Our common goal is to speed up their path to the European Union,” Von der Leyen said.
When it comes to the European market, von der Leyen sees an opportunity for the Western Balkans to be part of the e-commerce market long before it enters the Union.
“For example, the Western Balkans could join our digital single market in areas such as e-commerce and cyber security. We could facilitate our trade and goods and payments. I want our single market to be a driver of change, not only for the countries that have already joined the family, but also for those that are still on the way. This closer connection with our single market should go hand in hand with a common regional market. A common regional market is key to unlocking the region’s enormous economic potential. And it is crucial to make the Western Balkans more attractive for European investors. Even if it is based on EU rules and standards. This common regional market can also help accelerate accession to the European Union. We want to offer the Western Balkans some of the benefits of membership in advance. But, of course, this also means that certain conditions for membership must also be met in advance,” explained the head of the European Commission.
The reform processes are something that the Union and the Balkans have been discussing for a long time and which further slows down the region’s path towards the Union.
“Some of the reforms that are part of the accession process are crucial for investor confidence. Just think about building an independent and efficient judiciary, ensuring healthy public procurement, strengthening the fight against corruption or thinking about the entire energy market. The Western Balkans region has a huge potential for diversification away from Russian fossil fuels, but it must increase energy efficiency. It is necessary to increase diversification towards like-minded partners. And of course, it needs huge investments in the application of renewable energy so that the Western Balkans can achieve both. They can achieve energy independence from Russia and closer alignment with the European Union to accelerate accession. My final point is clear. We are ready to support the Western Balkans by increasing pre-accession financing. I think it has to be. There is a huge need for investment in the Western Balkans, and these investments will improve people’s lives and make the path to our Union easier. Therefore, for this reason, the resources dedicated to the Western Balkans should be increased. I think that this four-point plan is exactly the right offer for the Western Balkans at the right time,” concluded von der Leyen.
The announcement of the new plan for the Western Balkans comes a little less than 24 hours before the second summit of the European Political Community, which is being held tomorrow in Moldova, and which aims to bring non-member countries closer to the European Union and strengthen cooperation on the European continent.