2 hours agoWhat is theEFTA- EEA that Prime Minister Kurt mentioned in Brussels?
Periskopi(5 years ago)
(5 years ago)Today during the day, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti has met for the first time formally with Serbia's president, Aleksandar Vuciq, within the dialogue between the two countries and assisted by Brussels. At the meeting, Kurti presented four points, three of which were rejected, and only one received no answer from the [Serbian] delegation.
Today during the day, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti has met for the first time formally with Serbia's president, Aleksandar Vuciq, within the dialogue between the two countries and assisted by Brussels. At the meeting, Kurti presented four points, three of which were rejected and only one received no response from the Serbian delegation led by Nikola Selakovic.
The only point unanswered was Kurt's idea about advancing the free trade agreement known as CEFTA.
The six countries of the Western Balkans advance CEFTA to SEFTA ( South-East European Free Trade Agreement) under the EFTA- EEA, so the deal what Liechtenstein, Norway and Iceland have with the EU”, Prime Minister Kurti wrote on his Facebook profile.
In addition to this proposal, Kurti tried to lay down on the table of dialogue and the possibility of signing a peace treaty between Kosovo and Serbia, the issue of the dead and bilate reciprocity, including the minority issue.
For all these new ideas, Kurti said he hopes that Vucinic and Selakovic will think more and take these proposals seriously.
But what is EFTA- EEA that Kurt took as parallel to advancing CEFTA?
Signed in 1992, the European Economic Zone Agreement brings EU member states together in a single market with three states part ofEFTA- EEA, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein.
This common market is known as the internal market, the EEA Agreement guarantees equal rights and obligations within the internal market for people and economic operators.
The Agreement provides the inclusion of EU legislation covering the four freedoms of free movement of goods, services, persons and capital in all 30 SEE states. Moreover, the agreement includes co-operation in other important areas such as research and development, education, social policy, environment, consumer protection, tourism and culture, known as side policy and horizontal”, is said on theEFTA website.
This agreement, which went into effect in January 1994, stresses that when a country becomes a member of the EU, it must also apply to membership in the EEA Agreement with the aim of creating a homogenous European economic zone.
In this context, all EU legislation aimed at regulating the common market is integrated into the EEAS Agreement by providing uniform application of laws.
The agreement also provides grants that provide economic and social development aimed at reducing economic and social differences and strengthening bilateral relations of profitable states.
We remember that days ago by Albania Prime Minister Kurti launched his idea of a new co-operation agreement between Western Balkan countries, which he baptized as the “South East European Free Trade Agreement”.
Since the summit of regional leaders held in Tirana, the first executive stressed that Albania, Kosovo, Northern Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia “as equal members with equal rights” should be included in the agreement.
Under Kurti's proposal, SEFTA will create a common economic zone of the 6 Western Balkan countries, and under it a Council, Joint Committee, Court, Secretariat and Supervisory Authority would be created.
Meanwhile, meetings between the Vuciqi Kurti and Vucciki are expected to continue at the end of July.
