Deputy Minister for Economic Diplomacy and Extroversion, Mr. Kostas Fragogiannis, and the Secretary General for International Economic Affairs, Mr. Ioannis Smyrlis, addressed inaugural speeches in the Balkan Forum themed “The sustainable development of the Balkans in the post-Covid era”, organized by the Ministry of the Interior (Sector Macedonia and Thrace) in Thessaloniki.
In the framework of Greece’s becoming in charge of the annual Chairmanship-in office of the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP), Mr. Fragogiannis emphasized the need for strengthening regional cooperation by highlighting the importance of synergies, based on the slogan of the Greek Chairmanship “Strengthening SEE Synergies”.
The Deputy Minister referred to the Cooperation Formats of the Balkan Countries – established at the initiative of Greece- and their substantial contribution to the policies of expansion of the trans-European transport networks and enhancement of energy security, as well as to the high-yield investments of the Greek private sector in the region, which significantly strengthen the market labor and economic development of the countries.
Finally, Mr. Fragogiannis underlined Greece’s consistency in supporting the European perspective of the Western Balkans, in accordance with the conclusions of the EU- Western Balkans Summit of Thessaloniki in 2003, as well as the value of building a climate of trust based on respect for international law, towards the common objective of attaining economic development and stability in the region.
The Secretary General for International Economic Affairs, Mr. Ioannis Smyrlis, pointed out that the Western Balkans constitute Greece’s “economic mainland”, representing one of the most important fields for the Greek business community.
Mr. Smyrlis underlined that the National Strategy for Extroversion includes 54 actions for this concrete region and 19 more actions for the rest of the countries of Southeast Europe in the fields of energy, research and innovation, transport, infrastructure, environment and transfer of know-how.
As for the sustainable development of the Balkans in the post-Covid era, Mr. Smyrlis referred to the coronavirus pandemic, stressing, among other things, that Greece provided assistance to its neighbours by donating a total of 360,000 vaccines to Albania, North Macedonia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Finally, referring to the gradual convergence of the Western Balkans with the Member States of the European Union, the Secretary-General for International Economic Affairs spoke of the € 9 billion Economic and Investment Plan (EIP), drawn up by the European Commission with the aim of stimulating the long-term economic development of the countries in the region. He also focused on the Western Balkans Guarantee Facility, which is expected to create potential investments of around € 20 billion over the next decade.