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Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi was present online, at the meeting between the 3 countries of the Western Balkans, within the Open Balkan process.
Varhelyi answered Rama’s question for Open Balkan, saying that the EU supports any regional cooperation but invited the other 3 countries (Montenegro, Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina) to join this initiative, as according to him their economic benefit will was very large.
Varhelyi: It is easy to be a friend of the Balkans when you are from there. As you know, I am from Hungary and maybe this gives me a closer level of understanding of the needs of the Balkans and how we can help the Balkans from the EU to grow much faster and get closer to the EU. To be honest, I have always been very positive about this proposal. First it was called mini Schengen, then we tried within the Berlin process and created the common regional market but unfortunately, with some choices in the region, this initiative was left aside and in the meantime, I consider this Open Balkans initiative a successor or substitute until everyone is around the table.
This is a conclusion I have drawn from the beginning to continue to promote this initiative because the region WANTS to be a whole in terms of economy, society. The region wants to be together as we are in the EU. I also admire the fact how strongly you feel about this initiative because it is not the EU that came up with this initiative, but it came from you, from the 3 actors I see around the table and today and you continued to push it forward even when we failed to withdraw the participation of all the partners of the Western Balkans because you understood the importance of regional integration and especially the way in which it is able to change the lives of your citizens and accelerate economic integration with the EU.
This is the best message that the region can convey that not only is it ready for regional cooperation but it is doing it, it is developing it. You have also seen that with the conclusions adopted in the framework of the Enlargement process, we have included a clear message for the region. We think that according to EU rules and values, any regional cooperation is not only welcome but is in the best interest of both parties, which means it is in the best interest of the Balkans but also of the EU.
Let me take the opportunity to invite the 3 partners to return to this regional cooperation that not only increases opportunities for businesses, it is to the benefit of consumers, but it can also change the realities on the ground that are very grim and if there is one thing I want to quote Rama, is that only through the concrete creation of the common regional market, the Balkans can add a third of the existing GDP. The remaining two-thirds can be achieved through an essential complement that is the economic and investment plan.[ikthehenkëtijbashkëpunimirajonalsejovetëmshtonmundësitëpërbiznesetështënëtëmirëtëkonsumatorëveporpokështumundtëndryshojërealitetetnëterrenqëjanëshumëtëzymtadhenësekadiçkaqëduat’jucitojRamaështësevetëmpërmesbërjeskonkretetëtreguttëpërbashkëtrajonalBallkanimundtështojënjëtëtretëePBB-sëekzistueseDytëtretatembeturamundtëarrihetpërmesnjëpërplotësuesithelbësorqëështëplaniekonomikdheiinvestimeve
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