BELGRADE – The establishment of the Common Regional Market will bring numerous economic benefits and speed up the process of accession of the Western Balkan countries to the European Union, it was concluded at yesterday’s panel discussion “The path towards a Common Regional Market (CRM) and European integration of the Western Balkans“.
This event, held at the Europe House in Belgrade, was organised by the Center for Contemporary Politics from Belgrade and the Institute for Cooperation and Development from Tirana.
The Common Regional Market initiative aims to integrate the region as a step towards integration into the EU Single Market. On 14 October in Berlin, the Prime Ministers of the Western Balkans signed the Declaration of Support to the Action Plan for the Common regional market for the period 2025-2028.
In his opening address, Nemanja Todorović Štiplija, Executive Director of the Center for Contemporary Politics and Editor-in-chief of the European Western Balkans, stated that the Common Regional Market is an important topic that is little talked about in the Serbian media.
“The Common Regional Market is important not only for the Western Balkans but also as a preparation for the Western Balkans to be included in the European Union Single Market”, Štiplija said, explaining that the panel discussion in Belgrade is part of a series of events organised in every Western Balkan capital under the auspices of the Cooperation and Development Institute from Tirana and with the support of the Federal Foreign Office of Germany.
Assessing the achievements of the recent Berlin Process Leaders’ Summit, at which the Prime Ministers of the Western Balkans Six supported the Action plan 2025-2028 for the Common Regional Market, Valeska Esch, Senior Advisor to the German Federal Government Special Representative for the countries of the Western Balkans Manuel Sarrazin, stressed that significant progress had been made.
“The agreements which have been reached, such as the ones related to higher education and investment screening in the Western Balkans, will benefit the citizens of this region”, Valeska Esch said.
Speaking about the relationship between the Common Regional Market and the EU Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, Tanja Miščević, Minister of European integration of Serbia, specified that the Common Regional Market is the so-called “second pillar of the Growth Plan”, which is also a precondition for the accelerated integration of the region into the European Union Single Market.
“Many initiatives, such as joining the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA), aligning the quality and control of goods with the standards that exist in the EU, as well as the so-called green corridors, came into the focus of the public with the help of the Berlin Process”, Tanja Miščević clarifies.
Minister Miščević also noted that regional cooperation is one of the conditions for the progress of “each of us in the Western Balkans” on the path towards the EU accession and that it is not a substitute for the enlargement process.
“Regional cooperation has reached an unprecedented level, the Berlin Process Summit has demonstrated this. It seems that everyone has realised that this is a necessity of each of us and not a conditioning of the European Union… It brings benefits for every citizen, such as the abolition of roaming, travel only with ID cards, mutual recognition of diplomas and qualifications, and employment opportunities”, Tanja Miščević stressed.
In a similar vein, Andrea Hochhuber, Head of European integration and economic affairs at the EU Delegation to Serbia, noted that the European Union sees the Berlin Process and the Common Regional Market as “a bridge between the Western Balkans region and the European Union’s Single Market”.
According to Marko Mandić, Trade Expert and CEFTA Representative, the achievements made so far regarding the Common Regional Market have already brought some benefits.
“The effects of the Common Regional Mmarket in the trade of goods and services are already visible, which implies a reduction in costs. The Common Regional Market will also be a way for companies from the Western Balkans to prepare for joining the EU Single Market, to become more competitive”, Mandić stressed.
Speaking on the same topics, Dragana Đurica, Secretary General of the European Movement in Serbia, assessed that the recently adopted Action Plan for the Common Regional Market is a very serious document since the partners from the Western Balkans have also committed to some topics “that they did not want to hear about in 2019”, such as investment screening.
Ardian Hackaj, Research Director of the Institute for Cooperation and Development from Tirana, stressed the huge contribution of civil society to the Berlin Process in the past decade, including making recommendations for a new Action Plan for the Common Regional Market, as well as monitoring the establishment of the Common Regional Market.
“Civil society should be even more involved in the Berlin Process, in order to significantly influence decision-makers”, Ardian Hackaj remarked.