Today's Western Balkans Summit comes at a pivotal moment. Russia continues to rage its war of aggression on our continent, while our Union has been a peace project from its foundation. Peace is what unites our Member States and drives every stage of our integration. In these times of geopolitical uncertainty, enlargement is more than a choice for peace. It is a strategic choice. It is an investment in our shared security and freedom. Today's geopolitical headwinds are strong and fast. And the speed of the accession process needs to match the pace of geopolitical shifts.
For the first time in more than a decade, enlargement has become a realistic possibility. I want to commend the tremendous progress by Albania and Montenegro. It is impressive what they have achieved. And it is a formidable source of inspiration for the other Western Balkans partners. And it sends a strong message to the world about the attractiveness of Europe's offer. It is an offer of solidarity, of opportunity, and of stability. To turn this offer into reality, we are working intensely on gradual integration - the groundwork of accession. That is the work of the Growth Plan.
Thanks to the Growth Plan, the Western Balkan countries are more integrated into the EU than any enlargement partners before. The philosophy of the Growth Plan is simple but fundamental. Investment alone cannot generate sustainable growth. And reforms without resources cannot be fully implemented. That is why the Plan combines the two: reforms to unlock resources, and resources that make reforms possible. And with this combination, the region enjoys some benefits of integration even before full membership. Because for too long, the development gap between the Western Balkans and the EU has constrained investment, job creation, and opportunity. The Growth Plan addresses this directly. With EUR 6 billion in investment. And we now have 6 ambitious reform agendas.
We are already seeing the first concrete results. The Western Balkan are expected to grow by around 3% next year. This growth mirrors the confidence in the European future of the region, the impact of reforms, and the benefits of closer economic integration with the EU. And there is more to come. We are integrating our partners into the Single Euro Payment Area. This could save businesses and citizens up to EUR 500 million per year. We are saving time as well through our Green lanes. They will strengthen supply chains, improve logistics, and cut transit times by up to 80 %. And with the Growth Plan, the region's economy can double within the next decade.
Second on investments. To date, our investment plan has mobilised EUR 18 billion, including EUR 6 billion in EU grants. Across the region, over 68 flagship projects are underway to finance critical infrastructure in transport, energy, digital connectivity, and environmental projects. These investments are making the region more competitive and better connected to our Single Market. Take AI: we are setting up a network of AI Factories across the EU and we are opening them to the Western Balkans, with AI Factory Antennas in Serbia and North Macedonia. This will allow companies from all the region to connect with these factories, giving them access to Europe's AI infrastructure and a huge amount of computational power. All of this attracts private investment. During our investment conferences in Albania and Montenegro we secured investment declarations from private investors worth more than EUR 4 billion. And I am happy to announce that, following the smooth and orderly transition of local l governance in the north after the recent local elections, we are moving forward to lift the measures on Kosovo. We are programming 216 million euro of financial assistance. And we intend to release 205 million euro early next year.
My final point is regional cooperation and integration. The Common Regional Market is the fastest route to competitiveness, the most direct bridge to the EU Single Market, and the clearest proof that the region can act as one. The results are clear. Since 2021: Trade within the region has doubled, trade in goods and services is up 19%, shorter border waits have saved the equivalent of more than 20 years in total. But we can go further.
So now is time to renew the efforts and complete the Common Regional Market agenda. The momentum for enlargement with our Western Balkan partners has never been stronger.
This is a historic opportunity. Let us seize it together.
