Prime Minister Edi Rama hosted the ministers of economy of 20 regional and European countries in Tirana on Tuesday within the framework of the Berlin Process and emphasised that the EU needs the Western Balkans just as much as the region needs them.
The Berlin Summit is set to be held in Tirana on 16 October, bringing together regional and EU leaders to facilitate cooperation, while Tuesday’s Euro-Balkan Ministerial of Ministers of Economy, held before the main summit, saw 20 high-level delegations at the table.
“The EU needs the Western Balkans as much as the Western Balkans needs the European Union. We are here to discuss the most essential topics of this process, which includes strengthening our economies and being included in the economic sphere of the EU,” Rama said, adding a stronger interest from the EU in the region as they are starting to understand its importance.
“At a defining moment, the time has come to think outside the box, that is what we are trying to do with this summit, what we feel from all the communications with our friends,” Rama added.
Ines Mucostepa, president of the Union of Chamber of Commerce in Albania, stated that 6,000 companies in the Western Balkans are ready and have met the conditions to invest in the EU.
“The pandemic, the energy crisis, the war in Ukraine has affected the regional economy and has made us see that it has left some countries out of the market. Therefore, the Western Balkans should be helped because it is rich in natural resources that enable new projects,” she said.
She added that Europeans must understand the potential of the Western Balkans, and a development programme must be created to support them.
Minister of Foreign Trade and Economy in France, Olivier Becht. declared that the plan for the growth of Europe should be done quickly.
“We need to speed up this process. It requires more economy and integration for the whole region…We have one objective, which is to speed up the connections between the Western Balkans and EU countries. It will facilitate the private sector and speed up the EU membership process”, said Becht.
Rama added that “things have changed, and we see with great interest that in the EU there is a much stronger conviction, and they are more open about the importance of the Western Balkans for the EU”.
(Alice Taylor | Euractiv.com)
Read more with EURACTIV
Romania adopts tax reform amid business concerns
Source: euractiv.com
