The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) Secretary General Majlinda Bregu opened a four-day executive training on the Common Regional Market (CRM) for civil servants from parliaments and ministries across the Western Balkans Six.

Speaking at the opening, RCC SG Bregu emphasized the importance of interconnected processes for the region's progress: "The new plan for the Western Balkans, the second phase of the Common Regional Market, has been set into place this year. European integration, regional cooperation, and all local agendas are interconnected processes that reinforce each other. CRM is a mindset and a process that always introduces new things. That's why, through these four days of intensive training, we wanted to equip everyone with skills to find the thread that brings all these processes together."

The training, dubbed “Building the Common Regional Market: An Executive Training for Western Balkans Change Makers”, was designed to provide participants with practical knowledge and skills to support the CRM and strengthen regional cooperation efforts. Organised by the Albanian Centre for Competitiveness and International Trade (ACIT) and the Albanian Centre for European Policies (ACEP) with support from the Regional Cooperation Council, the training aims to prepare civil servants to support the CRM and leverage its potential to foster economic integration and collaboration across the region.

The Common Regional Market is a regionally-owned framework aligned with EU rules and standards, aimed at enhancing competitiveness, removing barriers, and deepening economic integration among the Western Balkans Six. Complementing the EU’s Economic and Investment Plan, the CRM serves as a stepping-stone towards the EU Single Market. It is implemented through four-year Action Plans developed by the RCC in collaboration with WB6 administrations, regional partners, and the European Commission. The second phase of the CRM was endorsed by WB6 leaders at the Berlin Process Summit in Berlin on 14 October 2024.