The Berlin Process is an initiative established by German Chancellor Angela Merkel in 2014. It aims to improve regional cooperation between the countries of the Western Balkans and consequently support their path to EU membership.
But even after seven years of periodical meetings, the process remains at a stalemate.
After Germany, several other countries have also hosted the summit, including Austria, France, the UK, Italy, Poland, Bulgaria, and North Macedonia. One of the major achievements reached so far has been the adoption of the plan to have a common regional trade market, as well as building bridges to bring closer the younger generation. Another success story has been the removal of roaming tariffs between neighbor states.
The main objective of the Berlin Process is the establishment of a common regional market, adopted last year in Sofia. The project seeks to achieve the four EU freedoms before the end of 2024, namely the free movement of people, goods, services, and capital. On July 5, leaders are expected to come to an agreement paving the way to travel across the region only with an ID card, as well as mutual recognition of university diplomas.
Currently, the so-called Balkan mini-Schengen also seeks to achieve the four freedoms of the EU. The initiative was initially proposed by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and has received the endorsement of Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and North Macedonia’s Zoran Zaev, however, it has been widely contested by Kosovo and the other countries in the region.
So far, millions of Euros have been accorded for joint projects, however very little has been achieved.
In 2019, the EU accorded €700 million for eight infrastructure projects, where €180 million were in the form of grants. The main benefiter was North Macedonia, which has been highly regarded since the Prespa Agreement, where it reached a deal with Greece over the country’s name.
The other countries in the region have been slower in attracting these investments due to weak projecting capacities.
Just recently, the EU Commissioner for Enlargement, Oliver Varhelyi, announced a €30 billion investment package for the region, however, according to him the plan will not work out unless the region does not work as a whole.
The unresolved disputes in the region have continuously acted as impediments to the proper functioning of the initiatives that arose from the Berlin Process. As the current meeting will be the last attended by Chancellor Angela Merkel as she closes down on her political career in Fall, it remains to be seen what will the fate of this initiative be.
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