Five EU Members Push Phased Single Market Access for Western Balkans

(MENAFN) Five European Union members — Austria, Italy, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Slovenia — have jointly proposed a gradual framework to bring Western Balkan nations closer to the EU's single market, according to a media report published Wednesday.

The initiative, outlined in a confidential document circulated among EU member states, calls for structured, performance-based entry into the bloc's economic core.

"To sustain the momentum of enlargement and advance European integration, strong and attractive incentives are needed," the five nations stated in the document.

The proposal centers on what the signatories term "systematic sectoral integration" — a mechanism enabling candidate countries to progressively access EU frameworks as they bring their domestic regulations in line with EU standards. The document specifically advocates for "merit-based access, if necessary, step by step to the European single market" as a key driver for reform-minded hopefuls.

Priority sectors identified include transport, energy, digital markets, competitive strategy, and critical raw materials — areas considered strategic to Europe's economic resilience.

The document also incorporates protective clauses designed to address scenarios where candidate nations reverse course on committed reforms following initial market access.

Beyond economic integration, the proposal carries a geopolitical dimension. The five countries urged EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos to develop concrete proposals based on this framework, contending it would reinforce the single market's strength while limiting the regional foothold of external powers, notably Russia and China.

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