TIRANA, September 28/ATA/ President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen spoke today about the “Open Balkans” initiative and emphasized that every kind of initiative within the Berlin process that brings about cooperation is welcome.
“If we look at the economic performance and the promotion of economic relations as well as this common regional market, I think that the Berlin process is the framework we are using and is pushing the integration process forward,” she said.
President von der Leyen appreciated that the process must be open, all-embracing and must push everyone to move forward.
On his part, PM Rama reacted reminding an Albanian saying that, Open Balkans is “to help a lame dog over the stile”.
PM Rama argued that, “It is not a second process that competes with the first or that is in conflict with the first”.
“The Berlin process was initiated by the German chancellor, embraced by the EU, embraced by the EC, but cannot move at the pace we want, in case we do not get engaged to push it forward, but wait for it to be pushed from Berlin or Paris or from Brussels”, Rama stressed.
“The same statements are repeated and they are the right statements; but in the meantime, it has been 8 years since the Berlin process started and we still have barriers, the exporters need to stay long in the borders, we still have the most diverse trade regimes from one country to another. Why? Do we expect the German chancellor agree with President of France on how vegetables will be treated on the borders of the Balkans?” Rama said.
The prime minister emphasized that the Open Balkans is a strategic interest and is the mechanism to put in motion and advance the Berlin process. /j.p/p.s./
