He said that the US supports the aspirations of the countries of the Western Balkans for EU integration.

He stated that no country can hold another country back in this process, otherwise it will face consequences.

“In this process no one will block anyone else. There is no right of veto. No one will hinder the process, because there are no unresolved bilateral issues. Whoever does this will face consequences. If any state wants to wait, then it is the citizens of that state who will decide whether these political leaders are the right ones,” said O’Brien.

“This growth plan is different from other offers. Each state must do their homework and the citizens will reap the benefits”, said O’Brien, who also spoke about the freedom of the single market.
He emphasized that this market, “allows people, goods and services to move freely and this is happening.” It happens in and outside societies, that’s why we have this approach.”

He said that, “the US supports the idea. We have spent about $200 million in aid to this region and we will remain committed to that. We are now focused on integrating the country into the single market.”

“What will we decide to do today in practical terms? First, we will identify specific initiatives that will be tangible to businesses and citizens in the region. The single Euro payment area, when established, means that each individual saves around 5% every time they transfer money in and out of the region. And this is a significant improvement that people will feel,” he said.

Regarding green corridors, O’Brien said that, “when we first looked at this issue a few years ago, studies showed that trucks spent over 80% of their time waiting on the borders in the Western Balkans. This means that it is impossible to do business that will hinge on cross-border transport, due to long waiting time.”

“Regarding this issue, there was a lot of progress. The council team is doing a great job and we are trying to achieve even more. Now let’s see how to build this. This will enable each country and its citizens to work across borders and businesses to work in the region and in Europe. Costs will be cut in half. EU companies will do out-sourcing outside the region and this is a very big advantage”, he emphasized.
“The second practical thing we will do today is to develop the implementation mechanism,” said O’Brien, who added that, “we need to see real progress going forward.”
“What really impressed me in this discussion is that each leader underlines the importance of taking big steps forward in this direction, so I find this meeting full of hope and promise for further work. We will see how we progress in this part further. We hope that we will achieve change and offer opportunities to citizens in the region,” the US Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia, James O’Brien, concluded.
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