Hahn remarks to Kosovo and Montenegro in Trieste: You're mistaken for the joint regional market

European Commissioner for Enlargement and Good Neighborhood Policy Johannes Hahn has attended the opening of this forum, which has expressed satisfaction with the possibility of realising the process.

I am very pleased that leaders of Western Balkan states, their prime ministers, will confirm the formation of the regional economic zone, enabling us to continue with the implementation of this concept. This means creating the area of about 20 million people, where there will finally be free flow of goods and services”, Hahn said.

He has clarified that the common economic zone would have to speed up trade exchange in the Western Balkans, which, as he said, compared to trade with the European Union, is currently being analysed.

“Those who consider that the regional economic market could hinder the idea of future Western Balkans membership in the European Union are making mistakes. It is about preparing the European Union's unified market region, when those countries can become part of it”, Hahn said.

European Commissioner Hahn has stayed at the business forum, where the ministers of trade and economy of Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro were present.

The summit in Trieste is taking part in the prime ministers of Western Balkan countries, as well as representatives of six EU member states, Austria, Croatia, France, Germany, Italy and Slovenia.

Besides Mr. Hahn, the European Union at this meeting also represents the high representative for foreign policy and security, Federica Moghrini.

On the eve of this meeting Tuesday, Federica Moghrini has ordered in Brussels that in Trieste it will be talked about “concrete project” for accelerating the region's economic development and implementing reforms. At the same time, the formal protocol of the meeting envisions participants signing the joint transport agreement, which is expected to accelerate the integration of the Western Balkans and the European Union's transport network.

It is expected that the European Commission will warn the division of new annual means under “connection package”, while partner Western Balkan countries would have to harmonise the action plan for development of the regional economic zone.

The Office of the European Union in Kosovo has earlier provided details regarding the Western Balkans Summit, which is being held in Trieste, Italy. The aim of this summit is said to be strengthening regional co-operation for a faster road to the European Union.

Discussions, according to information published by the EU office, will focus on three key areas of regional co-operation: 1) Union, 2) regional economic integration/developing of the private sector and 3) contacts among people.

Italy is the host of the 4th annual Summit under the Berlin “Process”, an initiative for regional co-operation in the Western Balkans, which follows the dailys in Berlin (2014), Vienna (2015) and Paris (2016).