Integrating countries in the Western Balkans economically and aligning them with the EU market

Context

Closer regional economic integration harbours great economic potential for the region. It is also a prerequisite to move the region closer to the European Union (EU), including through the EU’s ‘New Growth Plan for the Western Balkans’, which focuses on expanding the free movement of goods and services. The countries must also reform their investment policies. However, implementation of regional decisions is still very slow in some areas and not always coordinated.

Objective

The regional economy in the West Balkans is better integrated and is in line with the requirements of the EU Single Market.

Approach

In the West Balkans the project supports trade-related reforms in line with EU rules and standards and the implementation of these. To this end, it strengthens the expertise of partners as well as the coordination between them. The main partners of the project include ministries of economy, trade and industry, the secretariat of the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA), customs and other border authorities, investment promotion agencies, quality infrastructure institutions, and business associations.

The project advises and supports authorities and companies to expand the region’s Trusted Trader programme (Authorised Economic Operator, AEO) and obtain recognition from the EU. AEOs are companies that are particularly trustworthy and can benefit from simplified customs controls.

In addition, the project also promotes cooperation between authorities that handle the movement of goods at borders. For instance, it organises joint controls for this purpose. This includes the simplification of customs processes for online trade parcels.

The project also improves the quality assurance of the goods. It supports the West Balkan countries to reform their conformity assessment systems.

In the area of investment, the project promotes national mechanisms to avoid investment disputes between governments and investors.

Last update: January 2025