The Multi-Donor Action “EU4Trade: Accelerating Regional Economic Integration and EU Single Market Access for the Western Balkans” is jointly co-financed by the European Union and the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by GIZ as part of the BMZ project “RegioTrade – Enhancing Regional Economic Integration in the Western Balkans through Trade”.
Strengthening regional economic integration harbours significant economic potential for the Western Balkan region and is a critical prerequisite for the region’s accession to the European Union. In particular, the EU’s Growth Plan for the Western Balkans’ (GP) presents promising opportunities, allowing these countries to benefit from the advantages of the EU Single Market even before full membership. However, to capitalize on this, the countries must implement economic reforms that align with EU regulations and standards. A key focus of the Growth Plan is trade integration, particularly the expansion of the free movement of goods and ser-vices, including e-commerce and the improvement of the region’s quality infrastructure sys-tems (particularly through the establishment of the Single Market Academy). These issues are also central to the ‘Common Regional Market Action Plan 2025-2028’ (CRM AP). The Common Regional Market is an initiative by the Western Balkan countries designed to reduce economic fragmentation and enhance regional integration. Despite these efforts, the implementation of regional trade agreements remains slow in some areas and lacks full harmonization, which can create additional barriers to intra-regional trade and trade with the EU.
This Action will therefore support the Western Balkan 6 (WB6) in the harmonisation and im-plementation of trade-related reforms consistent with the priorities of the GP and CM AP and in line with the EU Acquis
