The joint presidency of the Berlin Process has discussed with the interested parties possible dates for the Summit to be held in Sofia, and indicative dates are 20 October or 10 November this year. But the final date will be fixed soon, taking into account the latest developments of the COVID-19 crisis and in agreement with all BP partners
By Genc Mlloja
Senior Diplomatic Editor
Despite the critical conditions because of the COVID-19 crisis the initiative of the Berlin Process has maintained its energy under the joint presidency of Bulgaria and North Macedonia which has kept high on its agenda the annual 2020 Summit.
Applying the principle of “Deepening Vs Widening”, which means focusing the efforts on improving the achievements in the already established frameworks and initiatives without diluting the outcome by creating new formats or bodies, the current BP joint Presidency has been trying to put its touch making this innovation a symbol of the regional ownership of the Berlin Process.
One of the main events in the context of the launch of the 2020 Berlin Process was the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Western Balkans who gathered in Skopje on March 10, 2020. The meeting was co-hosted by the foreign ministers of Bulgaria and North Macedonia, Ekaterina Zaharieva and Nikola Dimitrov, respectively with welcoming remarks delivered by the North Macedonian President, Oliver Spasovski.
A joint statement, which was adopted at the meeting, reiterated region’s pledge for commitment to democratic values, rule of law, independence of the judiciary, building of stable institutions, the fight against organized crime and corruption, stable economic governance, as a basis for political and economic stability of the Western Balkans and its essential connection to the rest of the European continent.
At the same time, it demonstrated a common political vision for the process, agreeing that the Berlin Process and other relevant regional initiatives do not replace the EU enlargement process. The meeting reaffirmed the strategic interest of the countries of the region to become full-fledged EU member states, building a peaceful, stable and prosperous region in a strong and united Europe.
Following that Skopje meeting General Affairs Council of the EU gave the green light to opening of EU accession negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia in the video-conference held in the frame of the Zagreb Summit on May 24, 2020. “Very pleased that EU member states today reached a political agreement on opening of accession talks with Albania and North Macedonia. I wholeheartedly congratulate both countries. This also sends a loud and clear message to Western Balkans: your future is in EU”, tweeted Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi.
In his address in Skopje, Minister Dimitrov emphasised that North Macedonia, after the historic settlement of the open dispute with Greece, has a particularly strong case. “If the EU is to be a force with a positive influence in the region and broadly and to preserve its credibility, this must be recognized by a clear decision to start accession negotiations with North Macedonia,” he said as quoted by EWB.
In the meantime Bulgarian Foreign Minister Zaharieva pointed out that the first joint presidency is a symbol of the regional ownership of the Berlin Process. She stated also that “Bulgaria will continue to support the efforts of the Western Balkan countries on their journey to the EU but these, in fact, have to be a joint efforts” she said, stressing that in this regard the joint presidency of the Berlin Process is a good example of development and an achievement of the Balkans.
2014-2020: From Berlin to Sofia & Skopje
The Berlin Process launched on August 28, 2014, by the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel is an initiative having as its major goal the strengthening of the regional cooperation in the Western Balkans and aiding the integration of the regional se countries into the EU. Albania, Serbia, North Macedonia, and Montenegro are all candidate states, and all of them are in negotiations. Bosnia and Herzegovina has applied to join but is not yet recognized as a candidate while Kosovo, which declared independence in 2008, is not recognized by all EU states, or Serbia.
“To make additional real progress in the reform process, in resolving outstanding bilateral and internal issues, and in achieving reconciliation within and between the societies in the region” was the major goal of the Process outlined in the Final Declaration by the German Chair, which included also the enhancement of regional economic cooperation.
The Process is taking place with support of the European Commission, international financial institutions and the Member States involved in the Process – Austria, Croatia, France, Germany, Italy, Slovenia and the United Kingdom. It is supplementary to the individual countries’ institutional EU integration process, based on the adoption of the acquis communautaire.
The Process’s connectivity agenda refers to linking the people (social dimension), economies (economic dimension) and states (political dimension) of the region. Within this agenda, the Process has thus far yielded initiatives and projects in the fields of transport and infrastructure, economic connectivity, youth cooperation and cooperation among businesses and among the civil societies of the Western Balkans. It also inspired intergovernmental cooperation through entities set up during its course: the Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO), the Western Balkans Chambers Investment Forum (WBCIF) and the Western Balkans Fund (WBF).
Alongside the meetings of the highest governmental officials (Western Balkan Summit Series), the Berlin Process encompasses the meetings of the representatives of regional civil society organizations (Civil Society Forum of the Western Balkan Summit Series), youth organizations (Youth Forum) and business associations (Business Forum).
Yearly gatherings of Prime Ministers and other high dignitaries of the Western Balkans’ countries with their counterparts from the European Union and the Member States participating in the Process have been held since its launch in Berlin in 2014, and the consecutive Summits were held in Vienna 2015, Paris 2016, Trieste 2017, London 2018 and Poznan 2019.
Initially, the Berlin process, which was born to keep the European perspective alive, would have concluded in London, but the following Berlin+ initiative seeks another round of summits, beginning in Poland of all places.
Since 2014, Berlin Process has provided new dynamics in the Western Balkans and between the region and the EU member-states involved. It delivered concrete outputs – political, economic and in the social cooperation process. The process gave birth to numerous new regional initiatives such as Regional Youth Cooperation Office, Chamber Investment Forum and Western Balkans Research Foundation; new funds were agreed upon such as the Green for Growth Fund, Western Balkans Fund and Western Balkans Enterprise Development and Innovation Facility; soft measures have been added – on energy, on transport, on fighting corruption, on security; many transport and energy investment projects have also been agreed upon; forward looking documents were also adopted: on regional electricity market, on energy efficiency, on Regional Economic Area, Digital Agenda and solution to illicit small arms and light weapons. Finally, it added new layers of inclusive cooperation in the Balkans with involvement of the civil society and the youth.
Poznan Summit gave further impetus to the Regional Economic Integration, notably by setting forward an automatic recognition model for higher education qualifications, by laying foundations for establishment of regional research cooperation hubs, development of capital markets and paving the way for an ambitious Green Agenda.
The 2020 Sofia & Skopje Presidency offers a special significance as for the first time since 2014, the initiative will be co-chaired by two countries –Bulgaria and North Macedonia, something which as mentioned above by Bulgarian Foreign Minister Zaharieva is a symbol of the regional ownership of the Berlin Process.
The joint presidency focuses on the following priorities: expansion of the existing spheres of cooperation in the Western Balkans region, improvement of connectivity along all of its dimensions: transport, energy, digital connectivity; interpersonal connectivity, bringing young people closer together through education, conservation of the environment.
A Summit Being Overshadowed by COVID-19…
Confronted to the COVID-19 crisis both teams in Sofia and Skopje in charge of the Berlin Process have discussed the necessity to review the Programme, the priorities and the level of ambition taking into account the state of emergency, the limited timeframe and the unpredictability of the situation.
In the meantime the BP joint presidency has discussed with the interested parties possible dates for the Summit to be held in Sofia, and indicative dates are 20 October or 10 November this year. But the final date will be fixed soon, taking into account the latest developments of the COVID-19 crisis and in agreement with all BP partners.
Which have been some of the activities carried in the frame of the BP and future ones, the agenda of the Summit, which are the expectations of the organizers from the Summit were some of the questions that Albanian Daily News put to Ms. Daniela Boudinova, Special coordinator of the BP at Bulgarian MFA.
Also ADN asked the Polish Ambassador, Karol Bachura among others on the experience of Poland’s presidency of the Process with the exemplary Poznan Summit.
In the meantime Zlatko Kramaric, Ambassador of Croatia, which has the EU Presidency, spoke in his contribution of Zagreb’s attitudes towards the EU enlargement process and the basic idea of the Berlin Process.
Daniela Boudinova
BP Special coordinator at Bulgarian MFA
In January 2020 Bulgaria has assumed the responsibility to co-chair the Berlin Process together with our partners from the Republic of North Macedonia with the firm conviction that this a recognition of the regional ownership of the Process, as well as a further step towards achieving the objectives of the Sofia Summit 2018 in terms of boosting the inclusive regional cooperation in the fields of connectivity, social and economic cohesion, regional security and stability, mutual understanding and as a result – better life for the citizens of the WB-6, thus bringing them closer to the European standards and norms.
Our Joint Presidency has established a well-structured Programme of events focused on the implementation of the agreed priorities (among which – the connectivity in all aspects like transport, energy, digital transformation, economic convergence, people-to-people, with special focus on youth, education, Roma integration, security and new technologies and other forms of cooperation, including the “Green Agenda” for the WB-6, etc.).
While building on the achievements of the previous BP Chairmanships, we work closely with the participants and the partners of the Berlin Process, the EC, the RCC, GIZ and the IFIs, as well as in coordination with the Croatian Presidency of the Council in order to ensure the necessary complementarity and tangible results.
After some important events like the BP Security Steering Committee held in Sofia on 29-30 January 2020 with the support of the UK and especially the Informal BP MFA meeting that took place in Skopje on 10 March preceded by a Think-tank forum dedicated both to the European perspective of the Western Balkans, the Coronavirus pandemic has put on hold the entire Programme and envisaged initiatives under our Joint BP Presidency.
Confronted to the COVID-19 crisis both BP teams in Sofia and Skopje have discussed the necessity to review the Programme, the priorities and the level of ambition taking into account the state of emergency, the limited timeframe and the unpredictability of the situation.
Some BP key events have been cancelled like the Digital Summit in Tirana (April) and the Youth Forum in Skopje (July). Some others – postponed like the Meeting of the Ministers of Interior in Skopje, which will be rescheduled for September, after the early Parliamentary Elections in the Republic of North Macedonia. On some other events, there is still no decision and additional consultations will be carried out according to the established practice.
With regard to the Sofia BP Summit the indicative dates discussed with the interested parties are – 20 October or 10 November, the final date will be fixed soon, taking into account the latest developments of the COVID-19 crisis and in agreement with our BP partners. Among the major achievements we are looking for the BP Sofia Summit is the adoption of the MAP-REA 2.0 (Multi-annual plan for developing a Regional economic area in the Western Balkans) – under preparation with the support of RCC in coordination with the Commission in order to improve the socio-economic convergence of the WB region especially in the context of the post-Covid-19.
We do not have a motto like the Presidencies of the Council of the EU, but we apply the principle of “Deepening Vs Widening” which means focusing the efforts on improving the achievements in the already established frameworks and initiatives without diluting the outcome by creating new formats or bodies.
Following Zagreb EU-WB Summit held on 6 may 2020, we look forward to coordinate our efforts with the German Presidency of the Council during the second half of 2020, taking on board the new EC initiatives for the WB in view of avoiding duplication and achieving concrete deliverables at the BP Sofia Summit this autumn.
Karol Bachura
Polish Ambassador
Last year’s Polish presidency in the Berlin Process has been noted and appreciated in the region. We are glad that despite unfavorable political conditions, the rich and comprehensive program of the presidency, including the Western Balkans’ Summit in Poznań, brought positive, tangible results such as the next tranche for the Connectivity Agenda and the establishment of a forum for debate between politicians, civil society, business and think tanks.
We are glad that Bulgarian and North Macedonian Presidency have decided to maintain and strengthen the already established thematic priorities set up by previous presidencies. Ensuring long-term focus on those will have greater added value than excessively widening the scope of the process. The Green Agenda for the Western Balkans is one notable addition to the previous priorities as connectivity, youth and security. We perceive the decision of Northern Macedonia and Bulgaria to continue the projects commenced by the Polish Presidency as proof that we have made the right choice.
We are glad that, besides the Western Balkans’ Summit and many projects during the Presidency, we were also able to use our presidency to offer significant financial support for the region. Poland paid in over 1.5 million EUR for infrastructural projects within the WBIF (Western Balkans Investment Fund), we offered scholarships in the College of Europe in Natolin for the students from the region, and opened for the Western Balkans the “Banach – Programme” offering the opportunity for full-time studies in the fields of engineering, technical sciences, agriculture as well as applied and natural sciences at universities supervised by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Poland. We hope that the programs will draw bigger attention and wider interest among Albanian students. We also offered significant financial support to the RYCO which provides assistance to young people, as well as to the institutions engaged in combating corruption and illegal arms trade. Needless to say, the Western Balkan Fund is also high on the agenda focus.
Zlatko Kramaric
Croatian Ambassador
Croatia’s attitudes towards the EU enlargement process have remained unchanged. As the EU presidency, despite all the adversities, we have done everything we can to keep this topic in the focus of all the EU members. The Zagreb Declaration proves this in the best way.
Croatia also understands the basic idea of the Berlin Process: positive relations in the region, open regional cooperation between the WB countries, reconciliation policy, good neighborly relations, resolving all open issues, inviolability of borders, dialogue as the only adequate way of any, including political communication all of which is contained in our priorities as the country currently holding the EU presidency.
We are also aware of all the complexist relations between Bulgaria, an EU member, and Northern Macedonia, a country that is not a member of the EU.
We believe in the political wisdom of both political elites. These elites are facing great challenges, which they must solve in accordance with the highest European standards, with full mutual respect and respect for their obvious differences. I don’t think anyone needs to be told what good and fair neighborly relations mean. These relations are, among other things, the strongest guarantee of stability not only in the region, but also in Europe. I always see possible misunderstandings as the first step towards a cultural, decent problem-solving./ADN
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