Western Balkans 6 meeting in Brussels
Today Commissioners Hahn and Commissioner Bulc hosted in Brussels the meeting of the six Prime Ministers from the Western Balkans. The meeting in Brussels built on the Western Balkan 6 ministerial meeting in Pristina on the core transport network for the region. The Brussels meeting confirmed the agreement of the core network through a joint statement, and discussed concrete ways which would help implement the core transport network. Read the Joint Statement adopted following the meeting below:
JOINT STATEMENT WESTERN BALKAN 6 PRIME MINISTERS CORE NETWORK AND PRIORITY PROJECTS
As a follow up to the Conference on the Western Balkans held in Berlin on 28 August 2014 and the WB6 Ministerial meetings in Belgrade on 23 October and in Pristina on 25 March, we, the Prime Ministers of the Western Balkans gathered in Brussels on 21 April 2015 in the presence of the European Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy & Enlargement Negotiations, the European Commissioner for Transport and the Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), have adopted the following Joint Statement in order to reaffirm our commitment to connectivity, good neighbourly relations, regional cooperation and European integration:
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-Improving regional cooperation and economic stability is one of our common tools for matching European standards and fulfilling the EU accession criteria, and the process should bring clear benefits to our citizens still before accession.
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-We express our strong commitment to the "Berlin Process", and remain focused on ensuring that the Summit on 27 August 2015 in Vienna will achieve concrete results based on specific investment projects.
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-We recognise that improving connectivity within our region as well as with the EU is a key factor for growth and jobs in the Western Balkans.
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-We accept that this common ambition will require our personal commitment and leadership.
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-We note that in the European Union, the core network links all EU capitals, main economic centres and major EU ports. We acknowledge that extending it to the Western Balkans allows speeding up policy and regulatory reforms and concentrate efforts and investments on key corridors and interconnectors.
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-We have agreed the core transport network for the Western Balkans as outlined in the attached table. In addition Corridor VIII Rail will be kept under review including through possible financing of preparatory studies, detailed alignments, designs and exploratory works with a view to its inclusion in the core network during the next 'TEN T' review.
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-We accept that our respective National Investment Committees must establish without delay single project pipelines of priority investments, as they are preconditions for receiving IPA II support for investment co-financing.
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-The project pipelines should reflect the fact that Projects of Energy Community Interest (PECI) are an important part of our connectivity agenda.
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-We undertake to identify and address without delay all relevant measures such as regulatory issues, streamlining of border crossing procedures, which could bring about immediate connectivity benefits for the Western Balkan 6 participants and at a reasonable cost.
Indicative extension of TEN-T to Western Balkans Core Network Definition Roads
Corridor Vc
Bosanski Samac (Bosnia and Herzegovina) - Doboj (Bosnia and Herzegovina) - Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina) - Mostar (Bosnia and Herzegovina) - Bijaca (Croatian Border)
Corridor VIII
Tirana/Durres (Albania) - Elabasan (Albania)- Struga (The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) - Tetovo (The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) - Skopje (The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) -Deve Bair (Bulgarian Border)
Corridor X
Batrovci (Croatian border) - Belgrade (Serbia) - Nis (Serbia) -Skopje (The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) - Bogorodica (Greek border)
Corridor Xb
Subotica (Hungarian border) - Novi Sad (Serbia) - Belgrade (Serbia)
Corridor Xc
Nis (Serbia) -Gradina (Bulgarian border)
Route 1
Debeli Brijeg (Border Crossing) - Bar
Route 2
Podgorica (Montenegro) - Durres (Albania) - Fier (Albania) - Tepelena (Albania) - Qafë Botë (Greek border)
Route 2a
Gradiska (Croatian border) - Banja Luka (Bosnia and Herzegovina) - Lasva-Travnik (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Route 4
Vršac (Romanian border) - Belgrade (Serbia) - Podgorica (Montenegro) - Bar (Montenegro)
Route 6
Pristina (Kosovo[*]) -Skopje (The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia)
Route 7
Lezhe (Albania) - Pristina (Kosovo) - Doljevac/Nis (Serbia)
Indicative extension of TEN-T to Western Balkans Core Network Definition Railways
Corridor Vc
Bosanski Samac (Bosnia and Herzegovina) - Sarajevo - Mostar- Capljina (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Corridor VIII
Skopje (The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) - Deva Bair (Border with Bulgaria)
Corridor X
Sid (Serbia) - Belgrade - Nis -Skopje (The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) -Gevgelija (Greek border)
Corridor Xb
Kelebija (Hungarian border) - Novi Sad (Serbia) - Stara Pazova/Belgrade (Serbia)
Corridor Xc
Nis (Serbia) - Dimitrovgrad (Bulgarian border)
Route 2
Podgorica (Montenegro) - Durres/Tirana (Albania)
Route 4
Vrsac (Romanian border) - Belgrade (Serbia) - Podgorica (Montenegro) - Bar (Montenegro)
Route 10
Krusevac (Serbia) - Kraljevo (Serbia) - Pristina (Kosovo) - Skopje (The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia)
Indicative Extension of TEN-T to Western Balkans Core Network Definition Inland Waterways
Corridor VII Danube
Backa Palanka - Ram/Nera River- Timok River/Pristol
Sava River
Croatian border (Sisak) - Belgrade
Tisa River
Hungarian Border - Danube River
Indicative Extension of TEN-T to Western Balkans Core Network Definition Airports
Albania
Tirana (TIA/LATI)
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Sarajevo (SJJ/LQSA)
Kosovo
Pristina (PRN/LYPR)
Montenegro
Podgorica (TGD/LYPG)
The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
Skopje (SKP/LWSK)
Serbia
Belgrade (BEG/LYBE)
Indicative Extension of TEN-T to Western Balkans Core Network Definition Sea Ports
Albania
Durres
Montenegro
Bar
Indicative Extension of TEN-T to Western Balkans Core Network Definition Inland waterway ports
Bosna and Herzegovina
Bosanski Samac
Bosna and Herzegovina
Brcko
Serbia
Novi Sad
Serbia
Beograd
[*] This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSC 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence
STATEMENT/15/4826
General public inquiries:
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