AGREEI – Action Group for Regional Economic and European Integration was created with the aim to support the economic and European integration of the Southern Balkans 4 countries (SB4C: Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro).

The Southern Balkans reality is different from that of Northern Balkans. The economies of these 4 countries have a significant orientation towards the Adriatic Sea and their business communities face the same big challenge: a small market size.

One main strategic objective of AGREEI is to support the creation of a market of 8 million consumers with free movement of goods, services, capital and people and a cross border cooperation which could be a short term solution and actually support the EU integration process of this region and maybe even to speed it up.

A coordinated addressing of topics such as trade and customs facilitation, cooperation against organized criminality, local development of border regions, infrastructure cooperation, and development of a common air space, energy and financial market would enable the creation of an economic growth agenda which is missing for the region.

Successful examples of regional cooperation within the European Union such as Benelux, Visegrad and the Nordic Council provide models which could be followed also for SB4C. Similarly to the cases of the member countries in these cross-border models, Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia and Montenegro would strengthen each other in their common efforts to succeed in the world economy.