Svilanovic: This could be the year of improvement or deterioration for the regional economy of the Western Balkans

This gathering was non - formal and was organised within the future session of the United Nations General Assembly.

The meeting is a continuation of the previous one along Sofia and London's Samites, which focused on the results of implementation of the Multi-year Action Plan (MAP) for a Regional Economic Zone (REA) The sixth Western Balkans for the region's future plans and challenges. In particular, participants discussed RCC activities concerning the implementation of the ARE MAP, as well as further actions that should be taken by individual economies to speed up the implementation process.

The “has done an extraordinary job in implementing MAP=ARM, since its approval by Western Balkan leaders in Trieste last year and I want to congratulate you on the work and dedicated efforts your governments have made. However, glass is only half complete and still has much work ahead of us “, RCC Secretary General Goran Svilanovic said, welcoming the region's partners.

This may be a year to improve or make it worse for the MAP AP to succeed only with concrete results and to achieve what we need to address political challenges, to mobilise administrations and to improve internal co-ordination so that political will expressed at the prime ministerial level is translated into quick actions. With clear demonstration of the actual impact M The AP ARM will become self-resistant and truly owned by governments, and its results will benefit citizens. The RCC Secretariat, as always before, is here to support you all the way. ”

Commissioner Hahn said regional integration is a catalyst in each of the Western Balkans on its EU accession path and creates increases and jobs for citizens. He added that co-operation and cohesion should become more radical and more effective, as EU integration concerns political focus and distribution to people.

In the second year of implementation of the ARE MAP several tangible results have been achieved: the dynamic of internal-region trade re-enforcement, additional protocol on ease of trade, respectively, has been decided along with the agreement on starting negotiations to improve the mechanism of resolving trade disputes; Regional Agency for Investment Reform (RIRA) was approved, setting common priorities for the development of capital markets and key advances in smart specialisation; The digital agenda for the BB was launched and the first World Summit of BB took place; regional to continue the process of reducing the rhomingus within the WB and the EU; and strengthened co-operation between cyber security authorities; agreement has been reached on the start of negotiations on Accession Agreement on Professional qualifications; and principles for recognition of academic qualifications are adopted.

Direction towards the 2019 summit in Poland, implementation of MAP ARE should be updated with more specific purposes. The region needs to: continue towards reducing roaming tariffs in all the WB6 and the new / revised regional Ringing; full negotiations on mutual recognition of professional qualifications and signing the agreement on it, and agreeing on the model for recognition of academic qualifications; and initiating implementation of investment reforms in line with RRIRA, with the first planned investment activities realised (including tourism).