Regional cooperation delivers tangible progress towards a more competitive, sustainable, and integrated Western Balkans

London, 16 October 2025 – At today’s Economy Ministers’ Meeting of the Berlin Process hosted by the Government of United Kingdom in London, Western Balkan ministers endorsed a new set of economic deliverables facilitated by the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), marking a significant step forward in the region’s economic integration, competitiveness, and sustainability.

Developed under the framework of the Common Regional Market (CRM) Action Plan, the endorsed measures span areas of sustainable finance, investment, green industry, tourism, and social policy, demonstrating how regional cooperation translates into concrete results for citizens and businesses across the Western Balkans.

“These documents endorsed today, are huge step towards forming a Common Regional Market and a proof that regional cooperation works,” said Amer Kapetanović, RCC Secretary General at the meeting. “They show that when we align our efforts, we move from words to action, from plans to tangible progress that brings the Western Balkans closer to the European Union economically, socially, and institutionally.”

The newly endorsed package includes eleven major regional initiatives that form a practical and unified toolbox for advancing competitiveness, inclusion, and sustainability across the Western Balkans:

1. Declaration on the Coordination of Social Security Systems and Portability of Rights in the Western Balkans Six – enabling citizens to move, work, and live across the region without losing social rights;

2. Western Balkans Six Green Bond Standard – unlocking new channels of private investment for energy, transport, and climate-friendly infrastructure;

3. Whitelist of the Sustainable Finance Taxonomy for the Western Balkans Six – providing a common regional framework to identify genuinely green and sustainable projects;

4. Regional Financial Literacy Framework for Individuals - it encompasses over 600 competencies to improve financial understanding, inclusion, and empowerment across the region;

5. Recommendation on Sustainable Foreign Direct Investment in the Western Balkans Six - providing an overarching direction towards attracting quality investment;

6. Sustainable Foreign Direct Investment Policy Toolkit for the Western Balkans Six – embedding sustainability principles into investment promotion and policy;

7. Regional Model Clauses on Sustainability – modern legal formulations that balance investor protection with environmental and social safeguards;

8. Joint Principles for Investment Facilitation in the Western Balkans Six – simplifying procedures and improving transparency to attract responsible investments;

9. Declaration on Western Balkans Six Tourism Branding – promoting a unified and sustainable regional tourism identity;

10. Joint Statement on the Development and Adoption of Regional Green Public Procurement (GPP) Criteria in the Western Balkans Six – integrating sustainability into public spending, which accounts for 10% of the region’s GDP; and

11. Joint Call for Action on Gender-Responsive Green Finance and Accompanying Recommendations – ensuring women’s equal participation in the green transition.

The endorsement of these deliverables builds on the region’s steady progress under the Berlin Process, facilitated by the RCC in partnership with the European Union and key international partners. Over the past years, Western Balkan Six have seen record foreign direct investment of €10.4 billion, intra-regional trade growth of more than two-thirds, and the successful elimination of roaming charges within the WB6, with EU roaming costs reduced by up to 99%. Earlier this month, the first SEPA transactions were completed in Albania, Montenegro, and North Macedonia, making intraregional payments faster and up to six times cheaper.

“These results show that the Western Balkans no longer prepares for integration, we are practicing it,” added Kapetanović. “Our citizens are already living the benefits of a more connected, open, and competitive region. Now it’s excellent momentum to keep moving from ambition to delivery, from plans to projects, and from cooperation to prosperity,” concluded Kapetanovic.

The Berlin Process Business Forum, preceded the Economy Ministers’ Meeting and set the tone for the day’s discussions. The opening Panel “Investing in the Western Balkans” co-organised by the RCC and the UK Department for Business and Trade and Chaired by Agon Nixha, Senior Expert on Competitiveness at the RCC, gathered representatives of the six Western Balkans Investment Promotion Agencies, UK Export Finance, and investors to present strategic projects and explore opportunities in sustainable investment and clean energy. The outcomes of these exchanges aiming to create a momentum for additional investments inflow for the region and fed into the outcomes of the Economy Ministers’ Meeting held today.

The deliverables endorsed today, together with the deliverables endorsed by the WB environment ministers at the Second Ministerial Meeting on the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans held few days ago in Dubrovnik, make a package for adoption by the region's leaders at the Berlin Process Summit that will take place next week in London.

The RCC’s work under the Common Regional Market and Berlin Process continues to provide the operational backbone of regional cooperation, ensuring that economic reforms, digital integration, and green transition go hand in hand with social inclusion and mobility. The endorsed deliverables will feed directly into the implementation of the EU Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, supporting efforts to double the region’s GDP within the next decade.

The documents endorsed today will be available at RCC website following the upcoming Berlin Process Summit in London next week.