On the 10th anniversary of the Berlin Process, the German Government reiterates its clear commitment to its efforts and engagement in the Western Balkans

The Foreign Ministers of the six Western Balkan countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia), as well as those of Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Slovenia, the United Kingdom and Hungary, which currently holds the presidency of the European Council, are meeting today in the Weltsaal at the Federal Foreign Office. Together with representatives of Italy, Poland, France, the European Commission and the European External Action Service, they will work on drawing the region closer to the EU. A special focus will also be placed on regional economic cooperation, mobility within the region, climate partnerships and gender equality.

Civil society also in attendance

Civil society representatives will speak for the regional population. Reconciliation and gender equality will be prominent issues in this regard.

Much remains to be done as we jointly proceed down this path

A lot has been accomplished over the past 10 years: It is now easier to obtain recognition of educational qualifications, roaming charges in the region are being gradually eliminated, 31,000 youths have meanwhile participated in programmes of the Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO) that was established in 2016, and customs processing has been sped up for some goods at the borders. It is precisely in these ways that the countries of the Western Balkans are proving that they are successfully overcoming obstacles that separate them and are forging closer ties between their peoples.

This conference aims to put that positive momentum to good use. For it is also clear that much remains to be done so that progress can be achieved along the region’s ambitious path. Work is underway on additional mobility agreements, the CEFTA free trade agreement has not yet been implemented and further reforms are required to draw the Western Balkans closer towards EU membership. Manuel Sarrazin, the Federal Government Special Representative for the Countries of the Western Balkans, has in the past weeks and months been conducting intensive negotiations and has been making a number of trips to the region.

Process launched in 2014

Launched in 2014, the Berlin Process aims to strengthen and deepen regional integration in and with the Western Balkans. Enhanced regional cooperation remains key to economic growth and peace. The Berlin Process is also intended to help accelerate the entire region’s closer alignment with the EU. In this context, it focuses on areas such as infrastructure development, business, regional youth exchanges, reconciliation and science. This meeting of Foreign Ministers is one of a series of Berlin Process meetings, including that of Interior Ministers on 17 September, Economic Affairs Ministers on 24 September, the Gender Equality Forum on 19 September, and a Ministerial Meeting on Roma Integration on 18 September. The series of meetings also includes a civil society forum and a youth forum and will conclude with a Summit meeting hosted by Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz on 14 October.