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Victoria Mindova

Over 3 500 Greek companies have created close to 20 thousand workplaces in Bulgaria, Romania and Slovenia, with the investment amounting to over $20b, announced the first deputy of the Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs Dimitris Doutsas. Doutsas opened the symposium “South-west Balkans: crisis and perspectives.” He emphasized the importance of the impact Greek business has on these three countries. The successful program needs to be expanded over the rest of the Balkan states as well.

“Greece is currently working on a new infrastructure project for the integration of West-Balkans and improving the image of Europe. The project is expected to be completed in 2014- a symbolical year marking the 100^th anniversary from the beginning of World War I which started the division of South-East Balkans,” added Dimitris Doutsas. The first deputy announced that the new Greek government will play a key-role in the West-Balkans accession to the EU. He said that Greece is willing to support the Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia’s accession to the Union, provided that a consensus is reached between Athens and Skopje on the name of the Balkan State. Another topic of importance discussed by the deputy-minister was the important role of Greece and the rest of the Balkan countries regarding the transmission of natural gas and other energetic fuels towards Western Europe, and the geographical advantage the area possesses in this relation.

For 2009 only, the European Central Bank has invested €3b in Bulgaria, Romania and Slovenia and has facilitated number of programs for medium and small enterprises local development- the basis of a stable economy, announced the vice-president of the ECB Plutarchos Sakelis. He added that the institution is not merely monitoring the development of West-Balkan countries, but financing initiatives in the social-economic and public sector with an overall investment of over €700m for 2009.