Skopje, 22 January 2024 (MIA) — The EU Growth Plan for the Western Balkans will open the gates to the European single market and facilitate the free flow of goods, services, capital and people; as a structured framework reinforced by financial support, it is key to seamless regional integration, encouraging adoption of EU regulations and standards, Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski said in his opening remarks at the leaders meeting dedicated to the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans taking place in Skopje.

According to PM Kovachevski, who is hosting the meeting, the dual integration strategy will not only speed up the region's accession process to the EU but also will bring benefits such as increasing trade and investments and bolstering competitiveness and regional connectivity.

"The plan is a bridge that connects aspirations with reality," Kovachevski said.

He also said the Growth Plan went beyond economic strategies and was a driving force toward a prosperous future in the Western Balkans.

"The plan is a powerful symbol of unwavering commitment to reforms, a decisive step toward transformation and aligning national economies with high European standards," Kovachevski said.

"This instrument is a pivotal moment for us. With it, the countries of the Western Balkans will speed up their fundamental reforms, creating a link to the shared regional market," he said, adding that the new financial assistance would greatly support reforms.

Earlier, in a statement given ahead of the meeting, Kovachevski said the Growth Plan was a concret step by the EU aimed at increasing regional cooperation and including the countries of the Western Balkans into the single European market.

He said talks had started at the leaders' dinner on Sunday evening and announced the adoption of a joint declaration as a commitment to implementing activities from the Growth Plan, which primarily focus on reforms and advancing cooperation.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, Albanian PM Edi Rama, Montenegrin PM Milojko Spajić, Kosovo PM Albin Kurti, Bosnia and Herzegovina's Minister of Finance and Treasury Srđan Amidžić, as well as Director General at the Directorate General for Neighborhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR), Gert Jan Koopman, and US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, James O'Brien, will participate in the meeting.

Deputy PM for European Affairs Bojan Marichikj, Finance Minister Fatmir Besimi and their Western Balkan counterparts will also attend the meeting. In addition, the meeting will bring together representatives of regional organizations, the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), CEFTA and the Western Balkans 6 Chamber Investment Forum (WB6 CIF), as well as international financial institutions.

The European Commission adopted the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans on Nov. 8, 2023, with the aim of bringing the Western Balkan partners closer to the EU through offering some of the benefits of EU membership to the region in advance of accession, boosting economic growth and accelerating socio-economic convergence. sk/mr