European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen walk with leaders of the Western Balkans; Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, Chairman of Bosnia and Herzogovina Zeljko Komsic, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, North Macedonia's Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov, Kosovo President Hashim Thaci, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucicj and Montenegro's President Milo Dukanovic, prior to a group photo at an EU-Western Balkans meeting at the Europa building in Brussels, Belgium February 16, 2020. Virginia Mayo /Pool via REUTERS

As World War II raged in Europe and Asia, former US PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt used his now famous 1941 State of the Unionaddress to describe the Four Freedoms Americans should expect from theirpolitical and economic system: the freedom of speech, freedom of worship,freedom from want, and freedom from fear.

He argued that American society should provide equality ofopportunity for youth and others; jobs for those who can work; security forthose who need it; the ending of special privilege for the few; thepreservation of civil liberties for all; the enjoyment of the fruits ofscientific progress in a wider and constantly rising standard of living.

Almost eighty years after Roosevelt proposed his FourFreedoms, leaders in the Western Balkans have initiated their own new dealfor the regions economic integration: a Western Balkans Four FreedomsInitiative, which aims to satisfy the same universal rights and accelerate theregions accession to the European Union (EU).

In the 1990s, the former Yugoslavia collapsed in a series oftragic conflicts that involved almost every country in the Western Balkans inone way or another. Twenty years later, the countries of the Western Balkanshave come to a joint position that regional economic integration can help themmore effectively meet their citizens demands and expectations for betterliving standards, as well as meet the collective desire of all countries in theWestern Balkans to join the EU.

To demonstrate their readiness to fulfill theresponsibilities associated with full-fledged membership in the worlds largestcommon market, the countries of the region launched the Western Balkans FourFreedoms Initiative to bring down barriers to intra-regional trade, travel, andlabor movement. While not identical to Roosevelts plans, this project seeks toensure the same outcome of peace and prosperity through liberty, opportunity,and growth.

The initiative was launched in October 2019 as a commonplatform for three Western Balkans countriesAlbania, Serbia, and NorthMacedoniato expand the free movement of people, goods, capital, and services.The remaining countries of the Western Balkans regionMontenegro,Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Kosovohave been invited to join, which is vital forthe project to be truly successful.

The regions chambers of commerce, representing 350,000companies throughout the Western Balkans, have been advocating and promoting aregional economic integration framework for years. In 2017, the chambers ofcommerce established the Western Balkans 6Chamber Investment Forum, bringing together all six chambers of commerceand creating a platform to speak on behalf of the regions business communitywith one voice.

Each individual economy in the region is too small tosucceed on its own in a highly competitive global marketSerbia, the largestmarket, is only 7 million people. Improving collaboration and forgingpartnerships within the region and in third markets will result in growth,improved rule of law, more responsive governmental institutions, and greatertransparency. It will simultaneously help the countries of the region fulfillthe EUs formal accession criteria, especially regarding good-neighborlyrelations, and position the Western Balkans as one of the fastest-growing andmost dynamic areas of the world.

All the countries of the Western Balkans face virtually thesame challenges. They must improve education, advance health reform, boostemployment, reverse the brain drain, and develop basic infrastructure. Theseshared challenges require shared solutions that can only be appliedsuccessfully if the entire region acts in unison. While a number of disputespersist in the Western Balkans, namely the Serbia-Kosovo dialogue and theinternal tensions within Bosnia and Herzegovina, there is nonetheless far morethat connects us in the region than which sets us apart.

The creation of a common market will amplify and expandthese connections, commonalities, and shared interests. But for this commonmarket to be successful in the global economy, direct investment is needed byboth large multinational companies, as well as regional and domestic actors.Moreover, in addition to improving the business climate, it will be necessaryfor the Western Balkans common market to strategically approach the developmentof economies of scale by raising the quality of production capacities and humancapital within individual economies.

The business communities in the Western Balkans arecollaborating to forge a de facto covenant with political leaders about sharingresponsibility for the future of the region and the delivery of tangibleresults to improve the lives of citizens. But the Western Balkans economicintegration process cannot fully succeed and maximize its potential basedsolely on the support of local governments and business leaders. Rather, theinternational community, led by the United States and the EU, must providepolitical, economic, technical, and general support to the Four FreedomsInitiative that complements other numerous efforts in the region, mainly led bythe EU or EU-funded institutions.

The Four Freedoms Initiative showcases the maturity ofpolitical leaders in the Western Balkans and their ability to rise above thenational level and create policies that will advance the wellbeing of theircitizens. If pursued in an inclusive way to encompass the entire region, and ifsupported by the United States and the EU, this initiative will help cementlong-lasting prosperity and peace in the Western Balkans.

As Roosevelt concluded in his Four Freedoms speech: Ourstrength is in our unity of purpose, and this unity of purpose is what willenable peace and prosperity for the nations of the Western Balkans.

Marko ade is president of the Western Balkans 6 Chamber Investment Forum, which represents the chambers of commerce and industry from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia.

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Forging the Four Freedoms Initiative for prosperity and peace in the Balkans - Atlantic Council