Representatives of the US Department of State and the European Commission have given individual statements in support of the creation of a common regional market in the Western Balkans.
Asked by Voice of America about the Open Balkan initiative, the US Department of State said that it strongly supports efforts to create a common regional market.
The DOS spokesperson noted that economic growth and attracting more investment is essential to the region, and local leaders should work to abolish trade barriers.
Ana Pisonero, a spokesperson for the European Commission, also told Prishtina-based Gazeta Express that the EU welcomes efforts towards regional cooperation. Nevertheless, she specified that such efforts should be inclusive.
Pisonero did not address the Open Balkan initiative directly. Instead, she reminded Western Balkan leaders of the commitments they had undertaken at the Sofia Summit last autumn to set up a Common Regional Market.
An Action Plan for the Common Regional Market was approved during the latest Western Balkan summit of the Berlin Process in July, and it included negotiations to ease travel mobility and recognition of diplomas.
Meanwhile, the Open Balkan initiative is a project spearheaded by Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, North Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, and Serbian President Aleksander Vucic.
However, their attempts have been stonewalled by the refusal of Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Kosovo to join in.
Kosovo PM Albin Kurti has been the initiative’s most vocal critic, arguing that any attempt at regional cooperation should happen under the supervision of the European Union.
In June, Kurti proposed his own regional free-trade agreement called SEFTA, modelled after existing free trade agreements between the European Union and countries like Norway.
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