Balkan Open, EU: including all Western Balkan states brings the greatest regional benefits

Ana Pisonero, one of the European Commission's spokespersons, has said that regional integration based on EU rules brings only benefits to the Western Balkans.

According to her, this is why the EU takes good care of regional co-operation.

“The lack of progress in implementing the common regional market has hampered significant benefits, especially for business, investors and consumers”, the EU's response to Telegraph says.

The EU says it welcomes that the participants of the Open Balkans Initiative are committed to promoting greater regional integration.

Pisonero also said Western Balkan leaders must make progress in implementing the Joint Regional Market, established at the 2020 Sofia Summit, with constructive engagement of all sides.

She added that the biggest regional benefits would come from including all Western Balkan states in the Open Balkans initiative.

The “clear conditions that the greatest benefits would come from the six Balkan states. Western Balkan leaders must make progress in implementing the Joint Regional Market, established at the 2020 Sofia Summit, with constructive engagement of all sides. This is important to realise the full benefits of regional integration, to make better use of investments according to the Economic and Investment Plan, and to better connect the entire region to the EU's only market”, the EC spokesperson said.

In the end, he stressed that the EU will continue to support the Regional Co-operation Council, CEFTA, Transport and Energy Communities to bring benefits to the entire BB and wider regional co-operation.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, European Union Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbor Oliver Varhely has invited the three other Balkan states to join the initiative, as according to him their economic benefits would be enormous.