Sarrazine: Berlin Process Not Against No Project

Deutsche Welle: Mr. Sarrazin, you attended Tirana at the Interconnection Forum. How important is it to talk about interconnection in the Western Balkans at this time?

Manuel Sarrazin: I'm from Hamburg, which is Europe's third largest port and everyone in Hamburg fears that your region (Western Balkans) can become the center of all international transportation lines because you are in the Mediterranean. The route is too short. I can tell you that the region has a huge potential of interconnection, not only in transport from other regions, but also to bring products to the European market that is one of the key topics of interconnection in the region.

DW: During your visit to Albania, you met with the country's prime minister, foreign minister, civil society actors, etc. What impressions did you get from these meetings?

You know that Albania has already embarked on the path to negotiations with the EU. We finally managed to open negotiations, and first we are happy and happy, but now we certainly want to see Albania progress. We want to open chapters, close chapters, we want to be clear about standards. That's why the path of reforms has to be pursued. We're lucky the government will follow this path, but we've also started pushing forward, promoting these issues. DW: So Albania, Northern Macedonia and other countries have a difficult road ahead? ]

Of course, it is not an easy way out. You must transform not only legislation, but the whole country. You need to ask the questions: how procedures will be developed, how much transparency will take place, how much civil society should be involved in this process, and what quality this process will have. Albania is in its first stages, but fortunately the work is starting, and this is also my main impression: you have to be critical of details, because details matter. Finally, we are starting real negotiations, as Albania had remained in a long-time deadlock, due to unfortunate reasons.

DW : When it comes to the Western Balkans, is it more important to talk about the Berlin Process or the next initiative of some regional leaders, “Open Balkans”?

The Berlin summit will be held on November 3rd, and these weeks I am travelling to the Balkans to increase expectations of the Berlin Process. We are confident that we will move forward in terms of the Common Regional Market, energy solidarity and the Green Aegean, as well as co-operation among young people in the region. So we want to increase the expectations of the Berlin Process and that's good. This process aims to achieve positive things for citizens of this region. It's not against this or that project. The Berlin Process is about moving things forward and we're trying to help with this development.

DW: Mr. Sarrazin, mentioned its youth and importance, which is also one of the topics of the Interconnection Forum. But at the same time, young people are leaving Albania and other countries in the region...

We want to give this issue a European perspective. Most people do not leave for themselves but because they want to give their children better living conditions. The road to Europe is the answer to this phenomenon. We want to make the European path more reliable and clear in order to restore confidence. And we can restore faith to these people. Regional integration, the Joint Regional Market is one of the steps. Of course, I understand when an individual decides to seek his own destiny in a country that he thinks is better. But I don't think we should blame individuals, but we have to improve the conditions for more people to stay in these wonderful places and look for luck here. They shouldn't leave their seats.

Manuel Sarrazin, once a Bundestag deputy for the Green, but in the recent Bundestag elections, he lost his mandate. From the beginning 2022 he is the German government's charge for the Western Balkans. During these weeks it is located in the region to prepare the Berlin Process summit, to be held on 3 November in Berlin. In Tirana, he participated in the Regional Liaison Forum, one of the Berlin Process projects.