Western Balkan leaders committed to European standards

A statement issued after the Western Balkans – European Union meeting in North Macedonia’s capital Skoplje said that they would make full use of a 6 billion Euro EU growth plan for the region which includes Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Albania.

The EU Growth Plan for the Western Balkans was presented by the European Commission in November and is intended to promote the region’s economic integration with the EU as well as among the countries of the Western Balkans. It is also meant to push forward essential reforms.

Speaking after the meeting, Director General for Neighborhood and Enlargement Negotiations at the European Commission, Gert Jan Kopmann said the Growth Plan is a potential game changer which could double the size of the regional economies in the next decade. He said the EU wants to provide greater stability to the region.

Media reports said that Serbia, North Macedonia and Albania signed protocols on free access to their respective labor markets within the Open Balkan initiative. A government press release said that the protocols complete the legal steps leaving technical issues in the three countries e-services systems to be resolved.