Brussels, 14/01/2009 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament calls on the Council and Commission to implement all appropriate measures to encourage deeper integration of the Western Balkans into the world trade and economic system, in particular through World Trade Organisation (WTO) accession. At this stage, only Albania, Croatia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) are already WTO members. Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro have begun membership negotiations. In an own-initiative report by Bastiaan Belder (IND/DEM, NL) adopted on 13 January in Strasbourg, MEPs also call on the Western Balkan governments to further explore the possibility of greater trade liberalisation measures in areas which have hitherto been exempted, and to establish mechanisms to combat systematically any infringements of international intellectual and industrial property rights. Given that the current international financial and economic crisis will also have an impact on trade and investment abroad in the Western Balkans, MEPs call on the Commission to follow the development and, if necessary, to adopt adequate measures to ensure the smooth continuation of the stabilisation and association process. All countries of the region have concluded stabilisation and association agreements with the EU. Generally speaking, MEPs strongly support the European perspective of the countries in the region but stress that there must be strict compliance with membership criteria. The EP also calls for the process of integration of the Balkan countries to be done on the basis of an approach that is strictly individual and in respect of the principle of “own merit”. (H.B./transl.jl)