CEFTA Has Played Crucial Role in EU Integration, PM Says

Brdo pri Kranju, 7 November 2003

The Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) not only strengthened economic relations between the contracting parties, but also made a significant contribution to the processes of European integration, Prime Minister Anton Rop told the plenary conference of the CEFTA summit hosted by Slovenia.

"Co-operation in the economy has opened the door for other areas, and CEFTA has shown how important and successful regional co-operation can be, and how powerful united interests are," Rop told CEFTA-countries officials on Friday.

The summit, which coincides with the decennial of CEFTA, might have a bitter aftertaste, since five countries will leave the group as they join the EU. Yet Rop is nevertheless convinced that CEFTA will not fade away, since three countries will remain.

"Although the form of our economic co-operation will change, the goals remain the same - to be together in the EU as soon as possible," Rop stressed.

Since trade between EU newcomers and those remaining in CEFTA will be based on those countries' individual deals with the EU, Slovenia will promote the establishment of trade regimes with CEFTA countries that would preserve the current scheme, he also said. Slovenia therefore supports the signing of adjustment protocols that would take into account the new number of EU members and the achieved rate of trade liberalisation, he noted. Even after the three remaining CEFTA countries enter the EU - Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia - CEFTA has a future, Rop believes. The partnership can be an appropriate framework for EU adjustment for countries of the Western Balkans, he said.

"This framework has been useful for us all. Given the fulfilment of criteria, it is, of course, also available to other countries in the Western Balkans, providing them with the opportunity to speed up their accession to the EU," he concluded.

Hosted by PM Rop, the summit is being attended by Bulgarian PM Simeon Saxe-Coburg, Slovakian PM Mikulas Dzurinda, Czeck Deputy PM Petr Mares, Polish Deputy PM Marek Pol, Croatian Economics Minister Ljubo Jurcic, Hungarian Europe Minister Endre Juhasz and Romanian Trade Minister Eugen Dijmarescu.

Topping the summit's agenda are problems faced by CEFTA members in the trade with agriculture products, particularly the troubles prompted by export subsidies and protective measures by some countries.

Slovene Press Agency