BERLIN – The results of cooperation among Western Balkan countries within the framework of the Common Regional Market initiative are visible, but technical-level cooperation must be accompanied by political will from the region’s leaders to resolve existing issues. This was the conclusion of the “Common Regional Market and Mobility” panel held during the Civil Society Forum in Berlin.
It was noted that the past decade has seen increased economic cooperation in the Western Balkans, with the launch of several initiatives aimed at facilitating the free movement of people, goods, capital, and services within the region. However, the region still faces multifaceted challenges in promoting mobility and achieving a unified and functional regional market.
Alban Hashani, Executive Director of the “Riinvest” Institute, presented recommendations drafted by the region’s civil society to advance work on the creation of the Common Regional Market. He said that some of the recommendations are easier to achieve, while others require addressing more complex issues.
Regarding the easier-to-implement recommendations, the governments in the region establish a regional platform for collecting and sharing data on migration to inform policy decisions and improve coordination.
“The data on how many people are leaving the region is alarming. These migrations create various crises in the region, such as a labor market crisis,” added Hashani.
One of the recommendations is the implementation of educational and vocational training programs targeting inactive female populations, as well as minorities such as the Roma and Ashkali, to enhance their employability and economic participation.
Hashani emphasized that the governments of the region should systematically involve civil society in designing reform agendas. He said that including CSOs in the process of designing and implementing reforms is a crucial step, adding that CSO involvement should be carefully planned, and adequate space should be provided for their participation.
According to the recommendations, the European Commission should support and expand mobility agreements within the region that facilitate the recognition of diplomas and regulated professions across borders.
Hashani stated that CSOs recommend the EC devise a new Growth Plan within the framework of the EU accession process, linking its conditionality and reform implementation closely with the gradual integration into the EU.
“For example, the implementation of certain reforms could be tied to the closing or opening of relevant accession chapters. This approach would incentivize countries in the region to implement reforms in a timely manner and would enhance the credibility of the Growth Plan,” CSOs recommend to the EU Commission.
Tatjana Shterjova Dushkovska, Secretary General at the Western Balkans 6 Chamber Investment Forum, stated that there are many lessons that can be learned from the implementation of the first Common Regional Market action plan.
She pointed out that the Common Regional Market initiative began during the pandemic in 2020, followed by the energy crisis and the war in Ukraine.
“Despite everything, the countries of the region have continued to cooperate and discuss how to implement the four freedoms that exist at the EU level for our citizens and businesses,” said Dushkovska.
Elda Kalaja, Head of the Office of the Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), also reflected on the context in which the work on establishing the Common Regional Market began, during the pandemic.
She mentioned the results of Eurobarometer research, which show that more and more people support regional cooperation and see its benefits.
Speaking about the results of the CRM, she highlighted the roaming-free zone that operates among the region’s countries, the reduction of roaming fees between the region and EU countries, and movement with ID cards.
“All these results led people to realize that we could cooperate together,” said Kalaja.
Zdravko Ilić, Senior Technical Expert at the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA), noted that there have been positive results concerning the Common Regional Market initiative, but that the initial enthusiasm at some point waned.
He said that one of the main lessons learned is that economic and technical cooperation go hand in hand with political cooperation and political decisions.
“Politics is not elsewhere. The Berlin Process is significant also because it provides a political impetus for regional cooperation,” Ilić said.
Commenting on the civil society recommendations, Ilić noted that they are always useful because they introduce new elements and open new perspectives regarding regional cooperation and the Berlin Process.
Odeta Barbullushi, Resident Professor at the Department of European Transformation and Integration Studies, College of Europe Tirana, stated that the Common Regional Market emerged in a specific context and that the continuation of work on this project comes at a time when EU enlargement is once again high on the EU agenda.
She emphasized the importance of the Growth Plan, as the CRM created a political context that led to the Growth Plan and the idea of gradually integrating the region into the EU’s Single Market.