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European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR)
News article12 April 2019Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations

Commission works with the Western Balkans and Turkey to boost competitiveness, long-term growth and job creation

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The European Commission published today its assessments of the Economic Reform Programmes (ERP) of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey. The ERP assessments provide analysis of each authority’s macro-fiscal framework and structural reform priorities. The ERPs play a key role in improving the conditions for inclusive growth and job creation in the Western Balkans and Turkey and thus improving the lives of citizens.

The assessments will feed into an annual meeting between Ministers on the 17th of May, which is the highest level meeting between all seven enlargement partners and EU member states to occur on an annual basis. This annual meeting produces jointly agreed country-specific policy guidance for each economy. Their implementation is then followed up in the yearly ERP assessments. The ERP assessments also identify a number of key structural challenges in each economy, including strengthening fiscal sustainability and reducing current account imbalances, ensuring financial stability and improved business environments, formalising the economies, boosting energy efficiency and security of supply, strengthening regional economic integration in the Western Balkans, improving labour market activity levels especially amongst women and strengthening the social protection and education systems.

The ERPs are the key element of the economic governance fundamentals first approach in the EU's enlargement strategy, preparing the partner countries for EU accession by meeting the economic criteria and building capacity to deliver results after accession. For the enlargement perspective to become a reality, a firm commitment to the principle of "fundamentals first" remains essential. This means economic governance, rule of law and public administration reforms should be tackled as a matter of priority.

ERP Factsheet

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