The idea about regional economic and political integration of the “Sourthern Balkans” (Albania, Macedonia, Kosovo and Montenegro) according to the model of the Benelux (Belgium, Nederland and Luxemburg) presented at the panel : “Agenda Open Markets for Balkan Benelux” isn’t a new idea invented this year by some journalists and economics, law, politics, or commerce experts. This is a repeated idea, elaborated and expanded from previous idea which was presented for the first time “on July 6, 1999 at the Seminar of Ros-Rot held in Ohrid (Macedonia) by Ismet Ramadani, member of the opposition Party of Democratic Prosperity which belongs on ethnic Albanian political scene of Macedonia. Organizers of this prestigious seminar in which parliamentarians from more than 20 countries took part were the North-Atlantic Assembly and Macedonian parliament.”
Which is the identity of the Balkans? The reality is, there can be no ” South Balkan Benelux” without including Turkey, Serbia, Greece, Bulgariaand Bosnia and Herzegovina too.
First of all, the idea of the “Soth Balkan Benelux” is wrong due to the fact that include only four the poorest countries (Kosovo, Albania, Macedonia and Montenegro), without Turkey, Serbia, Greece, Bulgaria and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Question is: why it is needed such regional ” South Balkan Benelux” when these four mentioned countries have no any kind of developed economy and exporting capacity.
Question again, where is that economic interest of the integration of these four Balkan countries when these have nothing to share. In this case, there is no logical or economic benefit for neither of these countries, but only economic and trade restriction from the other regional Balkans countries and European Union(EU).
A strategy like this uneconomic and anti-integration scheme should not need anyone of the Balkans nations because it is contrary to the EU integration standards. Instead, salvation of all people of the Balkan countries is their integration into the EU and NATO, not in any regional economic union model of Benelux(Albania, Macedonia, Montenegroand Kosovo) named as “Southern Balkan Benelux “!
Therefore it’s unacceptable that the idea of establishing “South Balkan Benelux” suggested by some journalists and exeperts who with their wrong ideas and concepts is trying to counter the EU and NATO integration process in the whole Balkans.
The Balkans is not ready to create a kind of “South Benelux” (Kosovo, Albania, Macedoniaand Montenegro) because of the fact that these countries are at the lowest level of their economic and trade development in the Balkans and in Europe. These countries except their existing political problems they have no other else to integrate and share to.
Therefore, the best way and most convenient is their integration into the EU and NATO, not in any pejorative union of so-called “South Balkan Benelux” which has more of a political perception than economic at all.
None of these states should not accept pronounced Agenda such as “South Balkan Benelux” because it contained a whole Balkan disintegration that marginalizes and slows down from EU integration processes.
