TIRANA, March 1 /ATA/ The Regional Summit on the “Growth and Convergence Plan for the Western Balkans” held on Wednesday in Tirana, brought together leaders from the economies of the Western Balkans, as well as other organizations and key actors in the EU accession process, with the aim of taking concrete individual and joint steps, towards completing two of the main pillars in the new plan for the growth of the Western Balkans.
“The new plan for the growth of the Western Balkans provides a connection with the work of CEFTA, in the framework for a Single Regional Market and access to the EU Market. The most tangible example of this connection is the expansion of the Green Lanes at the border crossings with neighboring EU markets and other customs agreements, which will make these crossings even more efficient,” Danijela Gačević, acting director of CEFTA, said.
Gačević said that “the implementation of the current Action Plan for a Common Regional Market and the development of a new market are crucial in creating new opportunities, attracting investments and strengthening cooperation in CEFTA and with the EU.”
The meeting in Tirana comes in the follow-up to the meeting “The Western Balkans meets the EU”, which was held in Skopje, as well as after the Summit on Investments in the Western Balkans organized by the EBRD in London. It conveys the message that the region has increased its level of maturity and sustainability.
CEFTA is working on more than 20 initiatives, which are expected to bring concrete benefits to businesses and citizens in the region. The leaders of the Western Balkans and the European Union will choose together which of them will expand in our relationship with the EU. Regarding the Green Lanes, CEFTA’s work will be essential in the so-called ACAA agreements, which enable visa-free movement of industrial goods, facilitation of electronic equipment, reduction of geographical barriers, etc.
The European Commission’s New Growth Plan, recently tailored for the Western Balkans, recognizes CEFTA as the central governance mechanism for managing the Common Regional Market. From the four pillars of the Growth Plan, CEFTA will focus on two of them, which are related to the strengthening of economic integration in the Western Balkans and the EU.
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