“DEEPENING INTEGRATION INTO THE EU SINGLE MARKET – DELIVERING GROWTH, CONNECTIVITY, AND OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL”
JOINT DECLARATION
THE WESTERN BALKANS SIX (WB6) LEADERS SUMMIT
Tirana, 21 November 2025
Recognizing the importance of the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans as a transformative framework to accelerate our region’s integration with the European Union and to deepen our economic and regulatory integration with the European Union’s Single Market, we, the Leaders of the Western Balkans Six, gathered in Tirana on 21 November 2025, reaffirm our collective determination to implement reforms and joint initiatives that will bring our people and businesses progressively closer to the freedoms and opportunities enjoyed within the EU Single Market.
We acknowledge the strong partnership with the European Union and its Member States, and we commit to fully implementing the Growth Plan and our respective Reform Agendas as key pathways toward convergence, competitiveness, and EU integration.
SHAPING THE PEOPLE AND BUSINESS AGENDA
Building on the success of the Roaming Free for the Western Balkans, we welcome the ongoing efforts to establish an EU–Western Balkans “Roam Like at Home” regime by 2026. This milestone will allow our people and businesses across the region to benefit from lower communication costs, enhancing digital connectivity, transboundary business, and people-to-people exchange. We commend the joint work of the European Commission, the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), and telecommunications operators, and we commit to ensuring regulatory readiness to enable full implementation.
We recognize the strategic importance of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for the competitiveness and resilience of our economies. We support the establishment of the AI Factories Initiative as a regional platform for innovation, research, and collaboration with European partners. By investing in data, research and innovation infrastructure, digital skills, and ethical AI standards, the Western Balkans aim to position themselves as active contributors to Europe’s digital future.
At the Digital Summit in Skopje (1-2 October 2025), we reaffirmed our commitment to enhancing regional and EU digital connectivity, advancing interoperable digital identity wallets, harmonising trust services, and strengthening regulatory and technical capacities to ensure secure, seamless digital access for our people and businesses.
We welcome the preparation of the Single Market Highway, designed to integrate our enterprises into EU value and supply chains, strengthen industrial partnerships, and attract sustainable investments. We will promote smart industrial specialization, B2B opportunities, and the alignment of our standards with EU legislation and industrial policy priorities to enhance economic integration in strategic sectors of mutual interest for WB partners and the EU. In this respect, the EU–Western Balkans Industrial Dialogue will be an important instrument to frame future work.
We welcome the launch of the Single Market Academy, aimed at strengthening our regional quality infrastructure systems and providing structured, long-term support to fully align with the EU Single Market.
We welcome the results of the recent Investment Forums held in Albania and Montenegro and we recognize the importance of boosting private and public investments in the region. In close cooperation with the European Commission we will support the promotion of an annual investment forum with high-level political participation and high turnout of public and private investors.
We affirm our shared ambition to make the Western Balkans the next investment frontier of Europe. Through improved business climates, transparent governance, and predictable regulatory environments, we aim to attract private capital, foster innovation, and promote regional investment projects that contribute to the EU’s competitiveness and open, strategic autonomy. We welcome the EU’s support through the Reform and Growth Facility and the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF) as key instruments to enable these goals. We also welcome the introduction of the Western Balkans Six Green Bond Standard as a key instrument for mobilising investment in green initiatives across the region.
DELIVERING ON JOINT COMMITMENTS – ACCOUNTABILITY AND ACCELERATION
Building on our progress, we reaffirm our full commitment to completing accession to the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) for Western Balkans Six. We welcome the achievements of the first four WB partners already in SEPA and the continued efforts and progress of others to meet the necessary criteria. We underscore the importance of regional and EU coordination to ensure regulatory alignment, operational readiness, and interoperability of payment systems, paving the way for full participation in the European financial area.
We welcome the progress in the WiFi4WB initiative to enhance free WiFi access in public spaces, rural areas, and local communities. This initiative will bridge the digital divide, empower our people, and support digital literacy. We commit to ensuring effective coordination with internal authorities and municipalities for implementation and maintenance, in close partnership with the European Commission.
We recognize the need to foster a conducive business environment in the telecommunication sector to accelerate broadband network development.
We reaffirm our commitment to the full implementation of the Green Lanes Roadmap developed by the European Commission, CEFTA, and the Transport Community, as well as to advancing the investment projects for the eleven busiest crossing points, mainly between the EU and the Western Balkans, and endorse the projects for five additional crossing points within the Western Balkans. We welcome the European Commission’s support for both investment and technical assistance, and we commit to aligning all relevant procedures, including inspection working hours and infrastructure, to ensure seamless transport and logistics flows. To that end, we welcome the Contribution Agreement between the European Commission and the World Bank, which will enable the effective implementation of the Safe and Sustainable Transport Programme.
We underline the importance of advanced and qualified trust services, such as e-signatures and e-seals, to ensure secure and interoperable digital exchanges across the region.. Strengthening these services will enable smoother business operations and support the transition toward fully paperless trade.
We reaffirm our commitment to the constructive implementation of the Common Regional Market Action Plan 2.0, as a legitimate tool to enhance regional competitiveness and economic cooperation and to further promote the free movement of goods, people, capital, and services, as well as we support the development of the CRM monitoring tool, which will track its implementation and thereby enhance the credibility, accountability, and visibility of reforms.
We recognize the importance of advancing the construction of the Trans-European Networks in the fields of transport and energy, as they represent a crucial step towards integration with the EU Single Market.
We call for enhanced cooperation and communication among Western Balkan Six on further activities aimed at effective implementation in the Region.
We reaffirm that the Growth Plan is more than an economic instrument; it is a political and strategic framework for our region’s European future. We will continue to work together and with the European Union to advance the integration of the Western Balkans into the EU Single Market, strengthen regional cooperation, and improve the everyday lives of our people.
