During the meeting, consensus was reached unanimously to approve the final decision appointing Ms. Pranvera Kastrati as the new Director of the CEFTA Secretariat.
This appointment followed a three-phase selection process: initial screening, interviews, and final evaluation held in the first week of July in Brussels, conducted with the involvement of external experts and all CEFTA Parties, with the support of the European Commission.
Ms. Valentina Superti, Director for the Western Balkans at the European Commission, emphasized that the appointment of the new Director is crucial not only for CEFTA but also for the EU, which has financial instruments in place to support the CEFTA Secretariat. She noted that the appointment process had been pending for two years and commended the transparent selection process under the Kosovo Chairmanship, which resulted in the appointment of the top-ranked candidate with the highest evaluation score.
Minister Hajdari highlighted that this decision, reached by unanimous vote, marks an important moment for CEFTA’s institutional continuity.
The CEFTA Secretariat plays a key role in supporting the implementation of CEFTA’s strategic agenda, facilitating dialogue among the Parties, and ensuring the effective implementation of CEFTA measures within the framework of the Common Regional Market Action Plan (CRM2), which is the second pillar of the EU Growth Plan aimed at fostering economic integration within the Western Balkans.
The Caretaker Minister, Ms. Rozeta Hajdari, extended her sincere congratulations on the successful appointment of Ms. Pranvera Kastrati as Director of the CEFTA Secretariat, expressing her confidence that Ms. Kastrati will work effectively with CEFTA Parties to advance the implementation of the CEFTA Agreement and fulfill the joint commitments toward economic integration within the Western Balkans and accelerated alignment with the EU Single Market.