TIRANA, Feb 29 /ATA/ At the EU-Western Balkans Summit on the Growth and Convergence Plan in Tirana, were reached four agreements in different areas, the EU Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, Oliver Varhelyi said on Thursday at the joint press conference with the Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama.
“The first agreement is related to SEPA that provides for a comprehensive review of all regulatory aspects in our countries. The countries must apply the same rules they use in their countries of origin. The challenge is how quickly we will be able to work to ensure concrete rules implementation. An agreement has been reached on this issue expected to have tangible results this year”, Varhelyi said.
“The second agreement provides for the regulation of customs procedures aimed at speeding up the expansion of border crossings in all the Western Balkans, at the end of this year, aimed at reducing costs for various businesses in the region”, he said.
“The third agreement was reached in the scientific research work. It is necessary to establish a center in the Western Balkans where different industries in the region will be supported, such as innovation, research, scientific research. The digital pharmaceutical sector will be also included, where knowledge about technologies is applied every day”, EU Commissioner said.
“The fourth agreement was reached on free internet network in public spaces throughout the Western Balkans. Everyone will be able to access the Internet as part of the economic investment plan. The municipalities will be equipped with all the necessary tools to make this a reality within this year”, Varhelyi concluded.
The European Commission adopted a new Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, with the aim of bringing some of the benefits of membership to the region in advance of accession, boost economic growth and accelerate much needed socio-economic convergence.
The objective should be to enable partners to step up reforms and investments to significantly accelerate the speed of the enlargement process and the growth of their economies.
A new €6 billion Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans has been proposed for the period 2024-2027.
Regional Summit on the Growth and Convergence Plan is taking place on Thursday, February 29, in Tirana focusing on the integration of the Western Balkans towards the European Union, as well as the implementation of the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans.
This second summit will also offer new opportunities for an exchange of views on the European future of the region and on common regional challenges.//a.i/
