EU Enlargement Commissioner Štefan Füle reiterated European Union’s determination to embrace Western Balkans and said Serbia-Kosovo accord has proved how important enlargement is for reconciliation in the region. He also called Western Balkans countries to improve business climate thus to open doors for at least €10 billion investments that EU funds aim to attract in order to improve region’s economic development.
At the EU-Western Balkans Ministerial Conference, held on May 8 in Thessalonikki, Füle said that “enlargement to the Western Balkans is about bringing peace, stability and prosperity.”
“The historic agreement between Serbia and Kosovo clearly demonstrates the importance of enlargement for reconciliation. It also demonstrates the importance of regional cooperation and good neighbourly relations in overcoming the region’s historical legacies,” he said.
Füle recalled the 2003 Thessaloniki Declaration that showed EU’s unequivocal support for the European perspective of the Western Balkans.
“There was no ambiguity. The Declaration clearly stated that the future of the Western Balkans is within the European Union, a perspective that has been consistently proclaimed by the European Council ever since,” Füle said.
Stressing the importance of strengthening economic governance, the new EU approach towards candidate states on their way to EU, the Commissioner called Western Balkans countries to improve the investment climate and create the conditions for sustainable growth, conditions to help attract foreign direct investment and conditions to improve competitiveness.
“The investment needs in the region are substantial. I was therefore delighted with last November’s agreement between European and International Financial Institutions to intensify their cooperation on key infrastructure investments in the six Western Balkan countries including priority transport and energy projects,” he said.
“This will be done through the Western Balkans Investment Framework to make sure that resources flow through a single pipeline,” Füle said, adding that “the EU funds aim to attract private capital that could finance at least €10 billion of investment in the Western Balkans, targeting key priorities of the beneficiary countries.”
