Thank you, Annalena.
First of all, I think, after we have seen the Western Balkans Summit taking place in Tirana, we should not be surprised that the Berlin Process is coming to Tirana. I think if there is one sentence of the day that keeps on being repeated in my mind is that the EU must come to the Western Balkans, and this is what we are doing today. So, we have been discussing, of course, the Berlin Process today, which is a very important complementary platform to our enlargement agenda, and also part of our engagement with the Western Balkans as EU. And I think that the Berlin Process was maybe the most and still is the most credible platform through which we show our commitment to the region. Because here, of course, we are talking about the grand political design, but we are also talking about the everyday lives of the people and how we are going to bring the EU to the Western Balkans, for the people, for the businesses and for the everyday lives.
You have seen that we, as Commission, when we took first day in the office, we made it very clear: for us, Western Balkans, and enlargement with the Western Balkans is a key priority. This is why we have put forward an Economic and Investment Plan that is capable of mobilizing 1/3 of the GDP of the entire region, and we have also taken stock of this plan and I was quite proud to say that we are already halfway there. So, we have mobilized roughly EUR 15 billion of funding in projects and grants, and private investments and public investments, over 54 flagship projects, which start to show the difference for the Western Balkans; the difference that Europe can deliver for the Western Balkans, the citizens and the businesses.
Because together we are building roads, railways, waterways; we are creating solar and wind power plants; we are putting operational wastewater management systems for the capitals and large cities; we are installing broadband internet infrastructure; we are of course injecting a significant finance for your private investors to grow and transform your economy; and we are also investing in human capital and help you to do that, and make economies more attractive to foreign investors.
You have seen that during the energy price crisis, we have mobilized another EUR 1 billion to stabilize and help to support the vulnerable customers and vulnerable citizens to address this price hike crisis. And with this, we have contributed to avert a major energy crisis in the region. But I think today we have been also very clear that our support will continue to ensure a successful energy transition, because the region is lacking energy and it is lacking sustainable energy supply. And we are therefore supporting renewable energy projects that you will see unfolding, and we are ready to reinforce the electricity transmission systems, the gas interconnectors, and most of all, we are ready to finance a new LNG terminal in Montenegro – in the port of Bar – as a new energy entry point for the region, but also for Europe.
To fully benefit from all these investments, of course, the region now needs to integrate itself economically. We look forward to another Common Regional Market agreement on recognizing additional professional qualifications, of course, in addition to the already existing three ones. But we are convinced that we have much more to tap from, we have much more potential in economic regional integration, because through that, through regional cooperation, the region could add an additional 1/3 to its GDP. So, if we introduce the four freedoms in this region, the region can create 1/3 of its GDP on its own.
And then, I come to our plans for the future. We have been talking about the previous enlargement and we have been also talking about how to best prepare for an accelerated enlargement and an accelerated integration of the region. For that reason, the Commission is coming with a new Growth Plan in the coming weeks, and that plan should aim to speed up the regional economic integration and should also create the opportunity for the Western Balkans to integrate gradually themselves into the EU Single Market still before accession takes place. We want to, of course, help the Western Balkan partners that through this, they also accelerate the reform programs that they are running, so that we see more tangible results on the ground, delivering for the citizens and the businesses in terms of introduction of EU reforms. And for that to happen, we are ready to do more on our side, not only to help technically and by expertise, but also to put more investment to it. Because most of these reforms are quite demanding in terms of finance, and if you look at the environment, if you look at the climate, Europe is here to contribute, but we need the region to deliver on the reforms. So, the Growth Plan, we are convinced will be a tool to help the region to transform itself and to close the development gap even before accession takes place with the European Union.
