Skopje, 20 November 2025 (MIA) - The path to the European Union remains a central strategic commitment. Today, Western Balkans don't just talk about a European future, but create it through concrete reforms, regional cooperation and shared values, Minister of European Affairs Orhan Murtezani told Thursday's ministerial meeting in Tirana held as part of the Regional Leaders' Summit on the Growth Plan entitled "Our Pathway to EU".

In his address, Murtezani stressed the need for "concrete results and practical integration that brings real benefits to citizens and economies in the region". He welcomed the opening of all Albania's negotiation clusters with the EU as an important boost for the entire region.

"The practical dimension of our integration further strengthens the sense of common purpose. Joining SEPA is one of our most significant achievements of the past year. Nine banks are already executing SEPA credit transfers, enabling faster, cheaper and more predictable transactions for citizens, businesses and the wider financial system. This alignment strengthens trust and economic dynamism, further connecting our markets to the European Economic Area. The WiFi4WB initiative represents an additional connection. Having sixty-three municipalities selected and implementation underway, we are preparing to bring digital services, education tools and tourism opportunities to communities that must be part of Europe’s digital transition. The modernisation of border crossings under the Green Corridors initiative is also moving forward, through cooperation with CEFTA, the Transport Community and partners from the European Union. North Macedonia is fully committed to upgrading its three key border crossings – Blace, Deve Bair and Bogorodica, ensuring that the flow of goods reflects modern standards and contributes to a more integrated regional market," the Minister pointed out. 

Western Balkans Ministers of European Affairs and Chief EU Negotiators, top officials of the European Commission, regional organizations such as CEFTA, the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), ReSPA and representatives of financial institutions including the EIB, EBRD and the World Bank attended the meeting. Talks focused on deepening the economic and institutional integration of the Western Balkans into the EU Single Market through key initiatives from the Growth Plan, including "Roam Like at Home", joining SEPA, the WiFi4WB project, the Green Corridors, the Common Regional Market 2.0 etc.

Murtezani, who participated in the meeting at the invitation of Minister of State and Chief Negotiator for Albania with the EU, Majlinda Duka, presented Macedonia's achievements in terms of digital and economic transformation, including progress in the legislation on electronic communications, the establishment of the first national AI centre "Vezilka", joining the SEPA system, as well as progress within the WiFi4WB initiative. He pointed out that the country is achieving results in more than 29 reform steps through the Reform and Growth Facility, including areas such as digitalization, improving the business climate and public finance management.

"Growth has become a driving force shaping our common European trajectory. Today’s focus on "Roam Like at Home", the AI Antenna Factory and the Industrial Dialogue shows that integration starts with concrete benefits for citizens and businesses. North Macedonia has strengthened its legal and institutional framework for electronic communications and launched a full legal gap analysis in terms of timely alignment with EU roaming law. This is not a distant goal of the "Roam Like at Home" roadmap, but a tangible, achievable step for our citizens. In parallel, the AI Antenna ​​Factory strongly resonates with our national efforts. Through "Vezilka", our new AI centre, we are building language models, digital corpora and training programmes that position North Macedonia in the wider European AI ecosystem. These initiatives are not isolated. They are part of a regional shift where innovation becomes a shared asset, and the Western Balkans actively contributes to Europe's technological future," the Minister stressed. 

Photo: Ministry of European Affairs