Ceko: A link with the EU is essential for Western Balkan countries, but they should not become Europe’s “tail”

Enriko Ceko, head of business administration and information technologies at the Canadian Institute of Technology in Tirana, said that, in strategic terms, a link with the European Union is essential for Western Balkan countries, but that this does not mean they should take on all the risk and become Europe’s “tail.”

“That is because the European Union, both due to costs and the reconfiguration of the global economy, has become a sausage in the middle of a sandwich. The EU has been placed in a sandwich, with Russia and China on one side, and the United Kingdom and the United States on the other. All the more so since Britain left Europe. Under these conditions, there is only one way for the European Union to ease its economic tensions, and that is to open up to new markets, reduce transport costs, logistics costs, customs costs and tariffs in general,” Ceko told Kosovo Online.

According to him, the alternative is the United States, which is one of the important strategic partners, as it has served as political support to the EU for all the changes that have taken place in Europe.

“The United States helped with institutional reforms and structural adjustments that took place in all European Union countries, without exception. That was principled support,” Ceko said.
As he pointed out, the European Union does not have natural resources, while natural resources in Europe are located in southeastern Europe, and most of them are in the Balkans, which is an advantage for the region.

“This limitation for Europe is an advantage for the Balkans, and the abolition of customs tariffs will enable a reduction in costs for European companies. European companies operate with higher costs than American, Chinese or BRICS companies. Of course, there is a problem here, because we are eagerly waiting to enter Europe and are disturbed by this delay in European enlargement that is still not happening, but we also have the problem that many European Union countries are tired of enlargement,” Ceko said.

In this situation, he emphasized, the element that works in favor of everyone in the region, Albania, Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, is the fact that the EU has two very important tools, IPA funds and the Western Balkans Fund.

“So, we have this financial advantage compared to other countries that want to integrate into Europe, that are on the path to integration but are far behind us. They do not have the comfort of IPA funds and funds intended for the Western Balkans. Also, when we talk about funds, we know that the European Union has ‘frozen’ allocated funds ready to be disbursed from the moment of accession to the European Union,” Ceko said.

According to him, China is a very interesting partner, especially through the Belt and Road project, for financing very important projects, including in the Western Balkans, such as road infrastructure and railways.

“The problem with China is the risk that the Western Balkans faces in relation to such a large country. We could turn into a place where low-quality products accumulate. China also has very high-quality products. Therefore, the goal should be to view relations with China in terms of quality, safety and product guarantees, because at the moment we enter Europe, the products and services that enter our territory must meet EU standards. So, we can cooperate with China, but priority remains products that comply with EU standards. This should be defined from the very beginning, even before integration into Europe,” Ceko said.