Berlin Process Nears End, Balkan mini-Shengen Does Not View an Alternative

However, with the end of Chancellor Merkel's mandate, the prime minister is expected to receive this initiative on his own, as warned last month at the Tirana Summit under the presence of Enlargement Commissioner Olivier Varhely. Thus, the attempt of a mini-Balkan Schengen by connoisseurs of international relations is not seen as an alternative to this process.

International relations recogniser Besnik Vasoli has told Kosovo Preis that he expects some of the agreements that have been negotiated for several years at today's virtual meeting to be reached.

“Today marks the conclusion of the Berlin Process, as we knew it under the supervision of Chancellor Merkel, as her mandate is expected to be completed very soon. This is both a farewell meeting and a summary, as it aims to round up some of the agreements that had already begun and how long to negotiate. They concern freedom of movement only with identity cards but also with recognition of certificates, university diplomas, and professional schools. This would also enable freedom of movement of the easier workforce”, Vasol said.

Violeta Hajoli from the Kosovo Democratic Institute (KDI) recalls that the Berlin Process has aimed at hiring the region and economic development, but it warns that after its completion there are no concrete steps for the new initiatives to be replaced.

This was seen as the initiative bringing the Western Balkan countries together, and at the same time, it is helping the EU's road and economic development. At the heart of this initiative is the reconciliation among the countries which of course has to do with the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue process, where the Berlin Process has supported these countries in their path to reconciliation and economic development, as their basis towards European integration... There are no concrete steps towards these new initiatives, they are mentioned many times, but there is nothing that can be content or something to analyze in terms or replace the Berlin Process, or just new ideas that can compliment the process or replace it in the future. However, this process remains important for the Western Balkan countries, especially for the Kosovo-Serbia normalisation agreements, as well as the assistance this process is providing in economic development”, she said.

Vasol says that as the replacement of the Berlin Process, it is expected to be the initiative for regional co-operation, led by the EU, rather than any of the regional initiatives, such as the effort for regional mini-Sengen.

Now we need to see what happens to the leadership in Germany, who will lead there after Mrs. Merkel, see how they decide to deal with the Western Balkans. Under all the Berlin Process will be transferred to Brussels, where EU institutions take over addressing the agreements and processes that have been launched there. A good sign is this initiative for regional, economic co-operation, which has been mentioned in Tirana when commissionor Warhely was also. I think this is the best alternative for the region, there are funds there are mentioned 30 billion euros in funds for the Western Balkans, but with preconditions for states to co-operate as the region, and not to go apart...Minni-Shangeni will have no perspective on how it is made, even though in this European initiative, there are similarities. But I believe this will remain in the shadows and will also be forgotten as the” initiative, Vasol said.

The six Balkan countries are participating in this virtual summit, organised by Chancellor Merkel: Albania, Kosovo, northern Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia.

The first conference was held in 2014, and over the years several joint regional projects have been funded, with the huge share of them being grants.

The Berlin process is an initiative led by Germany with the mandate to facilitate regional co-operation among six Western Balkan countries -- Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, northern Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia -- to enable them to join the EU.

“Linkage Agency” is the most important component aimed at connecting six Western Balkan countries to the fields of transport and energy, which later expanded in youth exchanges and economic relations.

Summits held in Germany, Austria, France and Italy established communication among Balkan leaders, drafted several infrastructure projects and new regional initiatives. However, many pressing issues remain intact and co-operation among leaders of the six Western Balkan countries is still far from satisfactory.