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The EU ambassador in Albania, Silvio Gonzato, participated in the regional conference "Bacomics". He emphasized that Albania's EU membership process is long and technical.
"The gap between the European Union and the Western Balkans will not be overcome, we need to promote social-economic convergence. The membership process is lengthy and technical, relies on lengthy process and requires work to achieve standards. These benefits are difficult for countries joining the EU to afford. In order to have access to elements of the common market, some reforms must be carried out and some standards must be set, the rest are incentives, the injection and massive introduction of aid", said Gonazato.
He stated that Albania is an isolated market, but emphasized that if it becomes part of the regional one, it would be a good stimulus for the country.
"We have turned this cooperation into friendship. The EU plan talks about growth and reform, it is an unparalleled offer. The EU has a big footprint in Albania, it is a big donor.
It was a way to answer another issue, the membership process is a long, technical process and requires work to meet the standards to become part of the group.
It can also be discouraging. The logic here is to offer some of the benefits of membership, before the official membership. The way this is done is by giving the countries of the region access to some aspects of the common market. But you have to go through a series of reforms to get access. The other aspect is the economic incentive to do so. This is the injection, 2 billion grants and 4 million loans, which is a package of interest for Albania as well.
This plan is public, available for public consultation and accompanied by concrete steps. When each of the steps is fulfilled, there is a certain amount of money that is spent in the interest of Albania.
The further you go towards the EU, the more countries have to integrate with each other. It makes no sense not only politically but also economically. Albania itself is an isolated market, and not of much interest to investors. But if it is part of a regional market, and if you are in Tirana and you can easily trade and be active through the region, it is a good incentive.
It also goes hand in hand with the need to strengthen connectivity between the 6 countries because at the moment, it is not enough.
As for how we increase the economic integration of these countries with the EU, we have identified some of the areas, two important ones are the common payment area in Europe and Albania has submitted a request to be part of it, which has extraordinary benefits, not only for individuals but also for businesses. If you transfer money through Albania and Italy, you will have the same costs, or better no costs. It will be quite a stimulus. The other part is the green lane, which we started at the time of COVID, we want to continue and deepen this cooperation, but to work not only between Albania and the EU, but also Albania with the 5 countries of the Balkans. We are currently working on the agreement on the compatibility and acceptance of industrial products", said Gonzato.
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