Since the signing of the CEFTA agreement in 2006, the Free Trade Agreement has played an important role in promoting international trade in South Eastern Europe. It has contributed to economic integration and flows of regional trade. Intra-regional trade has increased substantially in the fifteen years since the signing of the agreement. Trade liberalisation within CEFTA has promoted market competition and has encouraged FDI inflows, although these have not yet had much impact through backward spillovers to local economies. CEFTA has also facilitated information sharing and collaboration with regard to customs and trade policies more generally, thus encouraging political dialogue, institutional approximation and capacity building among the Parties of the region. CEFTA has also played an important role in the implementation of the Multi-annual Action Plan for a Regional Economic Area. Within the proposed Common Regional Market new mechanisms to facilitate trade in goods and services and to attract foreign investment are being designed. The latest developments in these new approaches were discussed at this workshop.
Third LSEE-CEFTA Academic Network Workshop
Wednesday 22 September
13:00-17:00 (UK time)
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13:00- 13:15
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Welcome Remarks
Vassilis Monastiriotis – Director, LSE Research on Southeast Europe
Emir Djikic – Director, CEFTA Secretariat
Will Bartlett – Deputy Director, LSE Research on Southeast Europe
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13:15-14:30
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Session 1 Chair: Dr Will Bartlett
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13:15-13:45
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The Regional Economic Area in the Western Balkans and the CEFTA 2006 agreement
Dr Mario Holzner, Executive Director, Vienna Institute for International Economics
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13:45-14:15
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Is strengthening of the mutual economic cooperation in WB right policy?
Dr Goran Nikolic, Senior Research Associate, Institute of European Studies, Belgrade
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14:15-14:30
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Discussion
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14:30-15:00
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Coffee Break
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15:00-16:00
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Session 2 Chair: Dr Vassilis Monastiriotis
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15:00-15:30
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Increasing trade integration through trade facilitation in CEFTA
Professor Katarina Toshevska-Trpchevska, Faculty of Economics, Ss Cyril and Methodius University, Skopje
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15:30-16:00
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Barriers to backward spillovers from FDI in the Western Balkans: will the Common Regional Market Action Plan help?
Dr Will Bartlett, Deputy Director, LSE Research on Southeast Europe
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16:00-17:00
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Session 3 Chair: Dr Vassilis Monastiriotis
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16:00-16:30
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CEFTA Committee of Contact Points Tour de Table and discussion
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16:30-17:00
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Discussion of next steps for the Network
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You can watch the workshop here.