OEK and EIC call on Government to meet conditions to benefit from EU's 6 billion fund

The Kosovo Economic Oda (OEK) and the Council of European Investors (EIC) have called on the government to be vigilant in meeting the conditions Kosovo has been set for, so that the country will not miss the chance to benefit from the 6 billion-euro European Union fund, within the new Growth Plan for Western Balkan countries.

They have said that the EU office chief's request in Pristina, Thomas Szunyog, that Kosovo soon remove the ban on Serbian products in order to take advantage of this plan, should be considered carefully by the country's institutions.

Likewise, Szunyog has urged Kosovo and Serbia to engage constructively in order to get progress and tangible results in normalising relations.

The chairman of the Kosovo Chamber of Economics, Lulzim Rafuna, has said the government must be very careful in implementing the development plan in order to meet the conditions required to benefit from the plan.

That, according to him, if the country fails to meet conditions, the means dedicated to Kosovo go to neighbouring countries.

And we've already asked that we be very careful about implementing the development plan, and if we lose the step or if we don't meet the conditions that are required, then it's not just gonna be a waste of time here as it has happened to us in visa liberalisation, which we've lost time for ten years, because here we're going to lose the amount of resources that's meant for Kosovo, in case you can't afford it because you haven't met the very means you distribute to our countries in the Balkans, it benefits our neighboring countries. That's why we have to be very punctual in meeting the conditions required and being consistent with all other countries during the implementation stages so that we don't get stuck. The development plan has made it very clear that if a country does not meet conditions it will stop itself. That's why our request continues to keep us very punctual and OEK for the part within the competencies and the possibilities it has will be 24 hours per seven days of work to help institutions meet conditions”, he said.

As for the EU's demand that Kosovo remove the ban on Serbian products as soon as possible, Rafuna has said that the government should review this firm move once again.

“We have demanded earlier that we be careful and reconsider this measure, because one and one signatories of many international agreements and we must respect those agreements. But we have another problem, because many companies that produce goods in Serbia come from Germany, Austria and many European countries that have supported Kosovo in all phases of its development, and I have been told very clearly that defacto it is exported from Serbia, but de-jure that commodity is produced by our companies and we have contributed to Kosovo development since 2002. Because these foreign companies that are found in Serbia have begun to complain to their governments, and this concern of the EU countries has expressed me and I demand that we be very careful and consider this measure because you have released the raw material, half the product, the meridinal equipment, as far as this measure<x1 is worth the most in force, he has said.

The executive director of the Council of European Investors, Emrush Ujkan, has said that for Balkan countries, economic co-operation is very important, as according to him, EU integration itself cannot happen without real integration within the region itself.

He has indicated that Kosovo and Serbia have agreed to an agreement that they should implement in practice.

The very fact that the goal of Kosovo and Western Balkan states is EU integration, and if you translate it differently, the EU implies the common EU market. This implies better than economic co-operation and economic integrations that can happen within these countries. EU integration cannot happen without real integration within the region itself. It is a prerequisite, not only has it been a prerequisite for us as well as for Eastern Europe in advance. Now there is an agreement reached by the two countries, including Serbia and Kosovo, which should be implemented in practice”, he has said.

Wolfani says Kosovo and Serbia are conditioned by the EU, which if they want to take advantage of the development plan must implement the agreements agreed upon.

You know that each country is singled out in the European agenda, but if we remember a month ago, the KiE has already drawn concrete conclusions that condition our countries, such as Kosovo and Serbia, to move forward in implementing the Ohrid Agreement and Plan, if they want to make progress on the European agenda. There they say about the growth plan, but you should remember that the growth plan is part of the European agenda. These demands have not been so far, they have been mentioned here, but not formalised. You have a document that puts the conditions very quickly, you also heard the EU ambassador say that the EU has set criteria for both countries, that if they want to take advantage of the growth plan, which is an instrument of the European own agenda, they have to take advantage of these agreements that have agreed to”, he has said.

The Online economy has tried to take another stand by state institutions on these EU requirements, but that the same until the publication of this article has not returned.

The Western Balkans' growth plan amounts to six billion euros for countries in the region. Of this, two billion are in grant form, while four billion euros are in credit form with very favourable installments.

In the statement issued by the EU Council, the main goal is to support partners from the Western Balkans harmonisation with values, laws, rules, standards, policies and practices of the EU, with the aim of future EU membership, as well as their progressive integration into a single European market, as well as socio-economic convergence with the EU.

Financial resources are planned to support a series of socioeconomic and fundamental reforms, including reforms related to rule of law and fundamental rights.