“Rome was not built in one day, and building a common market takes time. The process of economic integration of the Western Balkans and its integration into the EU is not an easy process, but I hope we do not need 35 years to get there, as it took the European Union to build a single market. “None of us in this region has the luxury of missing a single day, given that the European integration of the Western Balkans has been standing still for years,” said Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), Majlinda Bregu , in the 8th Dialogue of the Prespa Forum, held in Ohrid.

The RCC Secretary General spoke at the panel “65 years after the Treaty of Rome: Is Europe fully rebuilt and economically integrated?”, Together with Dimitar Kovachevski, Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Olivér Várhelyi, EU Enlargement Commissioner and Ana Brnabić, Prime Minister of Serbia.
 
“Last year in this country we celebrated the entry into force of the new Regional Roaming Agreement, which enabled free roaming of the Western Balkans for our citizens. This Roaming Agreement was not only an economic exercise that deepened relations within the region and made it possible for the citizens of the Western Balkans to pay less, but it was also a political act that convinced us that things happen, realized whenever leaders make decisions together. The history of the Regional Common Market will not be short. Normally it is a process that will take time, but if we are driven even more by the needs and pessimism that people show, especially young people (1 in 3 of them are unemployed) and if we would like to see changes in societies as soon as possible ours, then we must accelerate and mark concrete achievements in economic cooperation “, added Bregu.
 
“We at RCC are continuing to work to give the citizens of the Western Balkans a single market. We are a small region, with only 18 million inhabitants, (maybe even less with the latest developments) and for 76% of them regional cooperation is of high value. For more than 43%, unemployment is the biggest problem that is in danger of being aggravated by the economic crisis. In times of war, in times of pandemics, it is necessary to get closer. Whatever decision makers from our region decide, the RCC is here to facilitate and coordinate. But in the end, it belongs to them “, concluded Bregu.
 
The Prespa Forum for Dialogue is a platform created by the Government of North Macedonia to enable countries, leaders, organizations and citizens to build long-term relationships and strengthen partnerships between them.