Kosovo, Albania Give 'Common Market' Call Thumbs Down

EU Commissioner for Enlargement Johannes Hahn's support for the creation of a common market in the Western Balkans, raised during the recent summit of six leaders in Sarajevo, has drawn little enthusiasm in Kosovo and Albania.

In his speech in Sarajevo on March 16 directed to Western Balkan countries, Hahn put the focus on the need to develop regional cooperation and create a single market space in the six countries.

"We propose a Common Market for the Western Balkans. Our ambition is to remove barriers and create a single space for economic development. It will also make clear a longer-term aim of integrating the Western Balkans Common Market into the EU's internal market," he said.

He emphasized that while trade with the EU was strong, the Western Balkan economies have remained poorly integrated into world trade generally, while barriers from the 1990s have prevented regional trade from reaching its full potential.

Kosovo Prime Minister Isa Mustafa took to Facebook one day later to show his lack enthusiasm for the idea.

"Not all the Western Balkans benefit the same from joint trade. We don't view this proposal with enthusiasm ... and we don't want past experiences under a new wrapper," he said.

"Kosovo sees itself in a unique European market based on a Stabilisation Association agreement," Mustafa emphasized.

The six countries of the Western Balkans are already in a free trade agreement, the Central European Free Trade Agreement, CEFTA, launched from within the EU in 2006.

However, many see this agreement as ineffective and as unable to tap the economic potential of the Western Balkans.

Besa Shahini, a European Union policy expert in a comment for Pristina Insight, said the CEFTA agreement had not worked well...