• The EU bank welcomes commitments made by the Western Balkans countries to roll out the Green Agenda and develop a common regional market.
• The EIB expressed support for the Economic and Investment Plan announced by the European Commission focusing on connectivity and a sustainable green and digital transition towards an integrated regional market.
• As part of its €1.7 billion financial package for the region adopted in May in response to the pandemic, the EIB has already mobilised over €1 billion to address the negative consequences of the COVID-19 crisis.

As announced at the Berlin Process Western Balkans Summit held on 10 November, the European Investment Bank (EIB) welcomes the commitments made by the leaders of the Western Balkan countries to support implementation of the European Commission’s Economic and Investment Plan. It prioritises investments in the areas of connectivity and a green and digital-oriented transition of the region towards knowledge-based, inclusive and sustainable economies. President Hoyer pledged the EIB’s active support for such investments. In line with the Plan’s emphasis on the need for boosting private investment, the EIB and the European Investment Fund (EIF) will deploy new financial instruments to support private sector development under the new Western Balkans Guarantee Facility.

The participants at the summit – including the EIB – declared their readiness to work on the Green Agenda and a common regional market. As the EU climate bank, the EIB will provide financial and technical support for investments that enable a green transition in the region. This includes support for the gradual introduction of a renewable, diverse and sustainable energy supply for the Western Balkans aiming for a carbon-neutral region in the long term. These initiatives will also support the European Commission`s Green Deal and action to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050.

The EU bank will also prioritise investments in the digital transformation of the Western Balkans. The introduction of smart, digital-based technologies will encourage sustainable and inclusive growth of both economic and human resources in the region. Investments in digitalisation are expected to enable a faster recovery, enhance growth of the private sector, and improve efficiency of the public administration and its ability to operate even in the face of challenges such as COVID-19. Building better energy, digital and transportation networks will support the development of an integrated regional common market with higher trade flows, increased competitiveness and new job opportunities.

Werner Hoyer, President of the EIB, said: “Facilitating greater investment in the region is a key goal of the Berlin process and we warmly welcome the Economic and Investment Plan outlined by Commissioner Várhelyi. EIB looks forward to intensifying our long-standing cooperation with the Commission, EU Member States, fellow IFIs and Western Balkan partners on its implementation. As the EU climate bank with ambitious goals for advancing climate action, we are delighted to see the strong political commitment from all the Western Balkans leaders here today to roll out the Green Agenda. The EIB stands ready to support you technically and financially in this challenging but vital task. The Regional Common Market initiative you have announced is a good example of how the region can expedite its reform agenda to improve the economic environment. It is a very timely initiative as we move towards a post-COVID recovery. Enabling a greater flow of goods, services, capital and highly skilled labour will make the region more attractive for investment and trade; and will also accelerate convergence with the EU, which will in turn boost investor confidence further.”

Olivér Várhelyi, the EU Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, “The European Commission will work closely with the international financial institutions like the EIB to turn the Economic and Investment Plan into concrete projects, starting with the flagship priorities. The Plan is a solid foundation on which we can build our common goal of making the Western Balkans region more stable, more prosperous and accelerate its European path. It can change the economic landscape of the region in 4 to 5 years.”

EIB President Werner Hoyer’s speech 

About the EIB in the Western Balkans

The EIB is one the leading international financiers in the Western Balkans. Since 2008, the Bank has financed projects totalling €8.5 billion in the region. Besides continuing its support for the reconstruction and upgrading of public infrastructure, since 2010 the EIB has expanded into many new areas, such as healthcare, research and development, education and SMEs. 

The German presidency of the Council today reached a political agreement with the European Parliament’s negotiators in talks aimed at securing the Parliament’s consent to the next multiannual financial framework, the EU’s long-term budget.

The agreement has been reached following intensive consultations with the Parliament and the Commission that have been underway since the end of August. It complements the comprehensive financial package of €1 824.3 billion negotiated by EU leaders in July, which combines the next multiannual financial framework – €1 074.3 billion – and a €750 billion temporary recovery instrument, Next Generation EU (in 2018 prices).

The political package agreed with the Parliament includes:

• a targeted reinforcement of EU programmes, including Horizon Europe, EU4Health and Erasmus+, by €15 billion through additional means (€12.5 billion) and reallocations (€2.5 billion) in the course of the next financial period, while respecting the expenditure ceilings set out in the European Council conclusions of 17-21 July
• more flexibility to allow the EU to respond to unforeseen needs
• greater involvement of the budgetary authority in the oversight of revenue under Next Generation EU
• higher ambition on biodiversity and strengthened monitoring of biodiversity, climate and gender related spending
• an indicative roadmap towards the introduction of new own resources

The deal will now be submitted to member states for endorsement together with the other elements of the next multiannual financial framework and recovery package, including the general regime of conditionality for the protection of the Union budget, on which the Council presidency and the Parliament’s negotiators reached a provisional agreement on 5 November.

Negotiations with the Parliament took time, but we have finally made it – we have reached a political agreement on the last details of the EU’s next long-term budget. This is a well-balanced deal, which addresses the issues raised by the Parliament while respecting the guidance received from the European Council in July. We are now in a position to take the next crucial steps in the process – submitting the different parts of the package to the member states and the Parliament for endorsement. Europe has been hit severely by the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. We urgently need the recovery fund up and running in order to cushion the dire economic consequences of the pandemic. I hope that everyone understands the urgency of the situation and will now help to clear the way for the swift implementation of the EU budget and recovery package – no one needs new hurdles and further delays.

Michael Clauß, Permanent Representative of Germany to the EU

The Council today adopted a set of conclusions on key elements of a future EU intellectual property policy. These conclusions should be seen as the Council’s input to ongoing work within the Commission on an EU intellectual property action plan, expected to be presented shortly.

In these conclusions, the Council stresses the importance of a strong, efficient, transparent and balanced system of IP protection and the need for a coherent overall strategy to ensure both protection of – and fair access to – innovation.

As regards the non-patentability of plant or animal products exclusively obtained by means of essentially biological processes, the Council welcomes recent developments within the framework of the European Patent Organisation.

The Council also recognises the need to strengthen Geographical Indications protection systems in the EU. It stands ready to consider a system of sui generis protection of non-agricultural products on the basis of a thorough impact assessment of its potential costs and benefits.

The Commission is encouraged to undertake a number of concrete actions in the fight against counterfeiting and piracy, including further involving online platforms and other hosting providers.

Finally, the Council invites the Commission to present proposals for the revision of the legal framework on industrial design protection. Such revision should in particular address:

a) the complementarity between the Community, national and regional design protection systems,

b) the accessibility of these systems, for instance by clarifying and evolving the subject matter and requirements of design protection,

c) the implications of the use of new technologies,

d) the transit of infringing goods through EU territory even when such goods are not intended to be placed on the EU market, and

e) the protectability of component parts of complex products used for repair purposes under design law.

You can join the press conference live via Interactio using the following link:

https://broadcaster.interactio.io/join?code=HIAGWR22EJPB

Or follow live via Parliament’s webstreaming and on EbS.

Interpretation will be provided into English, French, German (all languages tbc).

When you connect, please give your name, your media organisation and use:

– Safari on iPad or

– Google Chrome on any laptop/computer (Mac or Microsoft).

If you have a question, please click on RAISE HAND. If the light is yellow, your hand is raised and the information has been passed on to the moderator of the press conference. When the moderator gives you the floor, the SPEAK button will turn blue. You will appear on the screen and you can ask your question.

Please also use headphones and, if possible, a microphone for better sound quality.

Journalists who have never used Interactio before are asked to connect 30 minutes before the start of the press conference to perform a connection test. IT assistance can be provided if necessary.

Further detailed information on how to use Interactio can be found here.

The EP’s negotiating team for the next long-term EU budget and Own Resources reform:

Johan Van Overtveldt (ECR, BE), Chair of the Committee on Budgets

Jan Olbrycht (EPP, PL), MFF co-rapporteur

Margarida Marques (S&D, PT), MFF co-rapporteur

José Manuel Fernandes (EPP, PT), Own Resources co-rapporteur

Valérie Hayer (RENEW, FR), Own Resources co-rapporteur

Rasmus Andresen (Greens/EFA, DE).