During a visit to North Macedonia on Monday 30 October, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced that the EU’s €6 billion growth plan for the Balkans would help the region to “double” the economic potential of the Western Balkan states in the space of 10 years.
“We need to bring our economies closer together. The growth plan will strengthen your economy, create jobs and at the same time help on the road to integration into the European Union”, declared the President of the European Commission, following a meeting with the Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Dimitar Kovačevski.
Presented on 16 October by Ms von der Leyen, the Growth Plan for the Balkans is designed to bring the countries of the Western Balkans closer to the European single market, increase the region’s integration into the European economy, speed up “fundamental” reforms with a view to EU membership and increase pre-accession funds (see EUROPE 13272/16).
“These are reforms and investments. We have very good experience of this principle within the European Union. It works very well. We said to ourselves: why not extend this principle to our friends in the Western Balkans?”, added the President of the Commission. (Original version in French by Thomas Mangin)