Joint Statement of the Leaders of the Six Western Balkan Countries from the Skopje Summit on the EU Growth Plan
As part of the Western Balkans Leaders’ Summit held yesterday in Skopje, the Acting Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, together with the leaders and representatives of the six Western Balkan countries (WB6), reaffirmed their joint commitment to the European Union Growth Plan for the Western Balkans. This plan is seen as a step forward in accelerating reforms and enabling gradual integration into the EU Single Market, thereby accelerating the process of EU membership.
During the Growth Plan Summit, Prime Minister Kurti emphasized the importance of security as a prerequisite for development, as well as support for regional cooperation and for the Growth Plan itself.
The Joint Statement, adopted during the Summit, highlights the need to strengthen regional economic cooperation, improve access to EU financial instruments, facilitate trade, integrate industrial supply chains, and advance digital and energy transitions in line with EU standards. These priorities aim to drive socio-economic transformation across the region, strengthening democracy, the rule of law, and good neighborly relations.
The leaders welcomed the newly defined priority areas within the Growth Plan, including the initiative dubbed the “Single Market Highway.” Within this initiative, Kosovo has identified the defense sector, agriculture and food processing, and the technology sector as strategic areas for investment.
The Joint Statement also reflects key principles, including that EU accession must be merit-based; that all WB6 countries should have access to EU programs and institutions; that past regional agreements under the Berlin Process—such as those on the mutual recognition of diplomas and ID cards—must be fully implemented; and that CEFTA must operate through a functional and transparent Secretariat, in line with Kosovo’s 2025 CEFTA Chairmanship objectives.
At the Summit, it was agreed that the next meeting of the Western Balkans leaders on the Growth Plan will be held in Tirana.
The full Joint Statement is available here:https://vlada.mk/node/39400?ln=sq
