The final panel of the conference analysed the effects of the European Union’s Growth Plan on the accession process of the Western Balkans region. The panellists agreed that it is a good tool for economic integration, which is a key element of the process, especially as the region lags a lot behind Europe in this aspect. However, it must not be decoupled from fundamental values.
They noted that, while there is a renewed interest in enlargement, it is mostly based on security and defence needs. Likewise, they agreed that the amount promised to the region is not very big and not easy to access, but that nonetheless it is an important step forward. The message they agreed on is that the EU needs to give more positive signals to the region, and to show more clear support for the integration of the region in practice.
Tanja Mišćević, Minister of European Integration of Serbia, opened by explaining that there was a very short period of time to create the reform agenda, which is why the public was not included. She added that the Ministry has been preparing the legal instruments and working on reforms. Simonida Kacarska, Director of the European Policy Institute in Skopje, asked about the price tag of these reforms, which are directly connected to EU funds. The minister answered that most of the money will be loaned, meaning that the countries will be borrowing money to conduct reforms, but added that the plan is a tool by which the countries can show their credibility and commitment to the process.
Dritan Abazović, Former Prime Minister of Montenegro, expressed support for the EU Growth Plan as a good idea, after a lot of time passed without new ideas. He shared his view that the states of the region rely on the enlargement process, and that it is important to get rid of the geographical hole in the middle of the EU in this way. He stressed that the region needs to have invisible borders, which is impossible without EU support, calling on more EU support for infrastructure projects because when it is not present, other actors like China appear. He warned that the EU shouldn’t constantly change the rules of accession, and that it should provide a real opportunity for states to join in order to motivate the population. In relation to this, he added that the rule of law is an inescapable part of this process. He lamented that people in the region have lost the passion for the accession process as they don’t see direct benefits to their lives, even though they support joining the EU. He stressed the need for strong leaders ready to make politically hard decisions in the short term to achieve the historical goal of EU integration of the region.
Milica Delević, Director for Competitiveness, Governance and Political Affairs at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, agreed that the Growth Plan is an important idea, and that it is a potential game changer, accepting that the logic of conditionality drives the accession process. She expressed some scepticism about the amount as the region is lagging behind economically, hoping that the amount would grow with the help of further financial institutions, adding that it is nonetheless a good signal to the region. She also mentioned the need for political will, which is necessary to sustain the process, and the understanding of the population that the process is in their own benefit and that it is positively transformative.
Tullio Ambrosone, Chief of Staff to the EU Rapporteur on the Future of the Single Market, focused on the current approach to enlargement, explaining that economic integration will not automatically create political integration, which has to go alongside it. He noted that the process impacts both member states and candidates, suggesting establishment of a solidarity facility as a funding mechanism that could address negative effects of the accession process. He emphasised the importance of the EU being competitive in order to have strategic autonomy, and that enlargement is a part of that process, which will improve the future of the single market and the EU.