Growth Plan and Regional Cooperation Focus of EU Ambassador's Speech at the Sustainable Development Forum
The EU Ambassador to Kosovo, Tomáš Szunyog, spoke today at the Sustainable Development Forum organized by the European Investors Council. The Forum brought together leaders from business, politics, and finance to discuss strategies for achieving transformational change towards a greener future. Ambassador Szunyog elaborated on the new Growth Plan for the Western Balkans and the importance of regional cooperation.
"The new Growth Plan for the Western Balkans will bring our partners, including Kosovo, closer to the EU single market, boost economic growth, and accelerate socio-economic convergence," said Ambassador Szunyog. He emphasized that Kosovo and other Western Balkan partners could greatly benefit from this plan, provided they implement the required reforms.
While stressing that access to the EU’s Single Market goes through the Common Regional Market, Ambassador Szunyog called for the removal of current obstacles. "Nine initiatives fully prepared at the technical level are blocked at the CEFTA Joint Committee. The selection of the new CEFTA Director, which started over a year ago, is proceeding very slowly. The selection of the Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council has been stuck for years – the ongoing procedure must yield a clear result. All parties need to work constructively and pragmatically to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes," he stated.
The Ambassador also noted that for regional economic integration to succeed, Kosovo must work closely with its neighbours. "In this regard, the free movement of goods, services, and workers is a key component of the Growth Plan. Therefore, I encourage Kosovo to lift the ban on Serbian goods as soon as possible," concluded Ambassador Szunyog.
The Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans is the financial pillar of the Growth Plan. Covering the period from 2024 to 2027, it is expected to provide up to €2 billion in grants and €4 billion in loans to the EU's six Western Balkan partners in the coming years.