The US Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Asia, Jim O'Brien, stated on Thursday that the Western Balkans has a new opportunity to be a participant in the common European market by accepting reforms and cooperation that will lead to economic growth.
Before an audience gathered at the German Marshall Fund organization in Washington, Mr. O'Brien spoke on Thursday about the priorities of the Biden administration for Europe and Asia during the last year of its mandate.
In addition to supporting Ukraine in the war against Russia, Assistant Secretary O'Brien also referred to the Western Balkans, saying that joint work between the European Union and the United States in this region contributes to security and common transatlantic interests.
“Honestly, everyone feels a fatigue of being promised a path to the EU and never quite getting on it, and Brussels has realized this. I think that there is not only a different spirit of the EU member states on how to approach the region, but they are also creating some innovative mechanisms,” he emphasized.
He said that the Western Balkans is now awaiting the final approval of the EU's “growth plan” for the region and that the United States is ready to support reforms related to these efforts.
“The essential thing is that in exchange for certain reforms, each state, without a veto from other states, will be able to benefit from participation in certain sectors of the European common market. These are steroids for the economy and it could happen soon,” Mr O'Brien declared.
The senior US diplomat, who has served in various positions in previous Democratic administrations, including as an adviser to US Secretary of State Madeliene Albright during NATO's intervention in Kosovo, said Balkan leaders are committed to a series of reforms special measures, such as the facilitation of the transport of goods and bank transfers that will show tangible results this year.
He emphasized that currently all the leaders of the region agree on the need to participate in reforms in exchange for opportunities to grow their economies.
Referring to the meeting of Western Balkan countries in Skopje this week, Mr O'Brien said the fact that the region's leaders agree that the only way forward is towards European integration and they are clear that more needs to be done is a change. true compared to four or five years ago. This unique opportunity should not be missed, he said.