News in English     | 07.06.2019. 17:32 |

Bregu: EU will never be complete without Western Balkans

FENA Press release

BRATISLAVA/SARAJEVO, June 7 (FENA) - “The EU without the Western Balkans will never be complete. But it cannot assume that business as usual will provide stability in the Western Balkans. It should take a much more political and strategic approach in the region. Let’s move from “geopoetics” to geopolitics. The EU must be ready to realistically make the Western Balkans its geopolitical priority and to shape the political conflict in WB as a struggle for or against Europe. This approach will help maintain stability and influence in its own troubled backyard,” said Majlinda Bregu, Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council, speaking today at the GLOBSEC Forum in Bratislava together with the Presidents of Montenegro and Serbia, Milo Đukanović and Aleksandar Vučić, respectively; and Ekaterina Zaharieva, Bulgarian Foreign Minister; at the panel “Western Balkans, drifting away from Europe?”.

“Western Balkans belongs to the European value-chain, and must remain firmly on the path of democracy, freedom, individual rights and sustainable development. If the EU is committed to a common future, and the WB economies are as well, there is no reason for the integration process to be limited and halted. The long time in Europe’s waiting room has significantly affected our region. UN estimates that by 2050 the Western Balkans (WB) could lose 14% of their current populations. Brain drain is particularly concerning, since it overwhelmingly includes young and highly-skilled workers and professionals. Unsurprisingly so: youth unemployment rate (over 35%) is more than double that of the EU,” added RCC Secretary General.

“To change this and reverse the negative trends it is not enough to simply tick the boxes for the sake of bureaucratic processes and quantitative benchmarks. We must strive to implement tangible, irreversible, structural reforms which bring the WB closer to the EU standards, and thus genuinely improve citizens’ lives,” concluded Bregu.

The work of the RCC is aimed precisely at facilitating a wholesome transformation of WB economies, through the implementation of Multi-annual Action Plan for a Regional Economic Area. The strides made forward in terms of digital integration and mobility represent real approximation to the EU standards. The exercise in regional integration is likewise an exercise for the future integration into the EU, stated the RCC.

(FENA) S. R.

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