June 8th, 2021
Cooperation and Development Institute in partnership with European Movement in Serbia organized on June 8th the Tirana – Belgrade joint hybrid side event in the framework of the Tirana Connectivity Forum 2021 edition. This event is part of the CDI-implemented initiative “Preparing and Supporting Albania for the EU accession process (ALBE)” – a project supported by the Dutch Embassy in Albania and was co-supported by Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Serbia. It focused on the factors that support or inhibit the implementation Economic and Investment Plan Flagship Projects, and the role of NGOs in their advancement.
The event kicked off with the welcoming notes by Ms. Krisela Hackaj, Executive Director of Cooperation and Development Institute, and Ms. Jelica Minić, President of the European Movement in Serbia.
The event was further addressed by H.E. Guusje Korthals Altes, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Albania, and Norbert Beckmann-Dierkes, Director of the Serbia/Montenegro Office in Belgrade, Konrad Adenauer Foundation.
The Dutch Ambassador highlighted the space and role of civil society and think tanks in the region has taken since the Sofia Summit in 2020, and the support that the Netherlands provides to reforms. The implementation of the EIP and the 10 Flagships is done better through the engagement of CSOs – the Dutch Ambassador added.
In his remarks, Mr. Beckmann-Dierkes argued about the importance to connect the civil society actors with other political stakeholders and especially institutional actors in order to assist the Western Balkan countries in their EU integration process.
The Head of Cooperation in the Delegation of the European Union to Serbia, Mr. Yngve Engstroem, touched upon various subjects of the EIP, such as green energy, digital transition, investment in infrastructural projects in the Western Balkan countries and investments in youth projects.
During this hybrid event, Mr. Christian Hagemann, Deputy Director at the Southeast Europe Association – SOGDE, brought some conclusions from the Civil Society Forum that was organized by SOGDE and ASPEN Institute on 1-2 June in the framework of the Berlin Process. Some of key recommendations relevant to the side-event, include:
- demand their meaningful inclusion in the accession negotiation talks, full transparency of the process and increase the inter-sectoral cooperation;
- closely monitor the reform processes in their respective countries and proactively communicate findings with relevant national and EU institutions on a regular basis;
- establish a dialogue and collaboration with peer organizations from the region to support regional integration and address common challenges in the EU integration process;
- establish direct links with CSOs and think tanks from the EU Member States through building networks and ad-hoc collaborations;
- enhance and promote their activities promoting economic development and preventing the emergence of structures that entrench state capture.
The above recommendations will be shared in the Meeting of Ministers at the Berlin Process, while the whole document from the CSF can be further consulted here.
The first panel, moderated by Ms. Jelica Minic, President of European Movement in Serbia, started with the intervention of Ms. Pranvera Kastrati, Senior Expert on Economic and Digital Connectivity at the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC). Ms. Kastrati stated that Common Regional Market Plan, encompasses an agenda that sees digitalization as a cross-cutting issue with all the other sectors such as trade, business etc. Ms. Kastrati also referred to the Western Balkans Digital Summit as a Flagship event for the region in improving the interoperability in the region, and the Memorandum of Understanding for the 5G toolbox; the Balkathon as a platform of encouraging youth to be involved in the digital agenda and Data Protection, etc.
“All the Western Balkan countries are preparing their national plans and CSOs are monitoring the process accordingly”, declared Mr. Mirza Kušljugić, Head of Board at the Center for Sustainable Energy Transition (RESET) in Sarajevo. Mr. Kušljugić added that there has to be a synergy between Western Balkan’s CSOs which have the necessary expertise to conduct proper monitoring processes, the industrial actors and state institutions of the Western Balkans in order to complete efficiently the energy transition, and that there should be an assessment of the countries readiness for the transition in this sector.
Ms. Tatjana Jovanovic, Head of Division in charge of Project Preparation and Financing, Transport Community Treaty Permanent Secretariat, stated that the vast majority of the funds provided by the EIP will be focused on investments in the infrastructure sector, but there are lack of capacities in the region regarding project implementation. “Infrastructure projects are very complex, therefore better cycle management is necessary, including preparation, planning, coordination, implementation and operation”- she added.
Focusing on environmental issues, Mr. Aleksandar Macura, Program Director at RES Foundation in Belgrade, underlined the importance to achieve the substantial reduction of pollution levels and the mitigation of the climate change. He highlighted the fact that many commitments have been made regarding the Green Deal, but they have to be accompanied with the necessary structural reforms.
The second panel took place under the moderation of Ms. Albana Rexha, Senior Policy Analyst at Democracy Plus, Kosovo.
Mr. Michael Voegele, Head of Sector, WBIF, DG NEAR, begun his remarks by stating that governance of infrastructure projects take place in many for a, is dynamic, needs to meet ambition where the expertise level is paramount, and implies transparency. An increase of capacities of the public administration of the WB countries that will lead to higher efficiency levels is needed.
Ms. Ana Krstinovska, President, ESTIMA in Skopje, observed that connectivity agenda goevrannce problems are spill-over from general governance problems that characterize the SEE& countries. She illustrated with several examples of poor governance impacting project identification, preparation, tendrering, etc.
Likewise, Mr. Ardian Hackaj, Coordinator of Tirana Connectivity Forum, stated that the EIP and its 10 flagship projects should be used as a channel through which the EU values and principles can be mainstreamed to the institutions of the WB. He concluded, by emphasizing that there should be greater communication and cooperation between the CSOs of the WB region and the EU stakeholders so as to increase the legitimacy of EU funds invested in the region.
The issue of transparency was also touched by Mr. Marko Sošić, Researcher at Institut Alternativa in Montenegro. Ms. Sošić focused on the subject of the authorities that control the investment projects in the case of Montenegro. He added that there are two separate institutional and non-institutional infrastructure project pipelines that operate independently from each other. WBIF website is a rich source of information, but the information requires refreshing, he added.
The event concluded with a summary brief of the key messages from the all speakers presented by Mr. Ardian Hackaj, co-organizer of this hybrid event and the final remarks from Ms. Jelica Minic.
During these discussions, the increase of the role of the Western Balkans’ CSOs through the Berlin Process and the respective projects and initiatives were acknowledged. All speakers agreed that there are several problematic areas that hinder the EU Integration progress of the WB countries, and these issues are imperative to be resolved. EIP and 10 Flagships Project represent an excellent opportunity to mainstream good governance in the SEE6 institutions and to support the reforms.
To consult the agenda, please click here. The discussions are now available in our YouTube Channel.
