The Chamber of Commerce of Kosovo (OEK) and the Council of European Investors (EIC) have called on the government to be vigilant in fulfilling the conditions imposed on Kosovo, so that the country does not miss the chance to benefit from the 6 billion euro fund of the European Union, within the new Growth Plan for the countries of the Western Balkans.
They have said that the request of the head of the EU office in Pristina, Tomas Szunyog, that Kosovo as soon as possible lift the ban on Serbian products in order to benefit from this plan, should be carefully considered by the country’s institutions.
Likewise, Szunyog requested that Kosovo and Serbia engage in a constructive way to have tangible progress and results in the normalization of relations.
The President of the Chamber of Commerce of Kosovo, Lulzim Rafuna, has said that the government must be very careful regarding the implementation of the development plan in order to fulfill the conditions required to benefit from this plan.
This is because according to him, if the country fails to fulfill the conditions, the funds dedicated to Kosovo go to the neighboring countries.
Yes, we have asked earlier to be very careful regarding the implementation of the development plan and if we lose the step or if we do not fulfill the conditions that are required of us, then here it will not only be a waste of time as we have happened with the liberalization of visas, that we lost time for ten years, because here we will also lose materially due to the fact that the amount of funds that is foreseen for Kosovo, in the event that it is not possible to spend it because you have not met the conditions most of the funds are distributed to the Balkan countries, our neighboring countries benefit. For this reason, we must be very meticulous in meeting the required conditions and be coherent with all other countries during the implementation phases so as not to get stuck. In the development plan, it has become very clear that if a state does not meet the conditions, it will stop itself. For this reason, our request continues for us to be very precise and the OEK for the part within the competences and opportunities it has will be 24 hours in seven working days to help the institutions to meet the conditions”, he said.
As for the EU’s request for Kosovo to lift the ban on Serbian products as soon as possible, Rafuna said that the government should once again consider this decided measure.
“We have asked earlier to be careful and reconsider this measure, for the reason that we are also a signatory to 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 stages of its development, and they told me in a very honest way. it is clear that de-facto that goods are exported from Serbia, but de-jure those goods are produced by our companies and we have contributed to the development of Kosovo since 2002. Because these foreign companies located in Serbia have started to complain to their governments and this concern of the EU countries has been expressed to me and I ask that we be very careful and consider this measure because it has released the raw material, half the product, the meridional equipment, what they are worth this measure will remain in force”, he said.
The executive director of the Council of European Investors, Emrush Ujkani, has said that economic cooperation is very important for the countries of the Balkans, since according to him, integration in the EU cannot happen without genuine integration within the region itself.
He stated that Kosovo and Serbia have agreed on an agreement which they must implement in practice.
“The very fact that the goal of Kosovo and the states of the Western Balkans is integration into the EU, and if you translate it differently, the EU means the common market of the EU. This better signifies how important the economic cooperation and economic integrations that can take place within these countries are. Integration in the EU cannot happen without real integration within the region itself. It is a prerequisite, it is not a prerequisite only for us, it was also a prerequisite for Eastern Europe beforehand. Now there is an agreement reached between two countries, like Serbia and Kosovo, which must be implemented in practice”, he said for Ekonomia Online.
Ujkani says that Kosovo and Serbia have been conditioned by the EU, that if they want to benefit from the development plan, they must implement the agreements that have been agreed upon.
“You know that each country is singled out separately in the European agenda, but if we remember a month ago, the Council of Europe has already issued concrete conclusions that condition our countries, such as Kosovo and Serbia, to move forward in implementing the agreement and plan of Ohrid, if they want to make progress on the European agenda. There they say about the growth plan, but you have to keep in mind that the growth plan is part of the European agenda. These requests have not been so far, they have been mentioned here and there, but not formalized. You have a document that very explicitly sets conditions, you also heard the EU ambassador who said that the EU has set criteria for both countries, that if they want to benefit from the plan for growth, which is an instrument of the agenda itself Europeans, in order to benefit from this, they must implement the agreements that have been agreed upon”, he said.
Ekonomia Online has tried to get a position from the state institutions regarding these EU requests, but they have not responded until the publication of this article.
The Growth Plan for the Western Balkans amounts to six billion euros for the countries of the region.
Of this amount, two billion are in the form of grants, while four billion euros are in the form of loans with very favorable installments.
In the statement issued by the Council of the EU, it is emphasized that the main goal is support for the harmonization of partners from the Western Balkans with the values, laws, rules, standards, policies and practices of the EU, with the aim of future membership in the EU. 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 range of socio-economic and fundamental reforms, including reforms related to the rule of law and fundamental rights.
