SKOPJE – Presentation of the political document “Western Balkans Summit 2018: 3 key points to remember from London”, written by Zoran Nechev And Ivan Nikolovski of the Institute of Democracy “Societas Civilis” – Skopje (IDSCS), Jelena Minic form the European Movement of Serbia, Mariola Qesaraku of the EU Policy Hub and Adnan Cerimagic was held today in the Macedonian capital. It was organized by IDSCS, coordinator of the SEE Think Net network – the first regional network focusing on topics related to the Berlin process.
After the introductory speech delivered by Zoran Nechev, Director of the Center for European Integrations at IDSCS and coordinator of the SEE Think Net network, several important points and conclusions from the analysis were discussed at today’s event ‘today. First, the Berlin Process was successful in bringing Western Balkan leaders and ministers to the table to discuss and attempt to resolve outstanding issues in the region. The process enabled discussions on regional security, youth issues, connectivity, economic integration and other important topics. In the field of bilateral cooperation, the highlight of this year was the agreements that Macedonia signed with Bulgaria and Greece, removing the main obstacles on its path to the EU.
The second important outcome of the London Summit was the fact that, for the first time, civil society organizations sat around the same table with the leaders and ministers of the Western Balkan countries. On the other hand, despite the UK’s departure from the EU, it maintains its presence and doubles its support for reforms in the Western Balkans, and Poland, as the next country for the EU presidency, will focus on conflict resolution and strengthening connectivity. economic cooperation, security and youth cooperation between Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, Kosovo, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In this sense, the Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Macedonia, Rachel Galloway, stressed that his government remains focused on the region, which was confirmed by the increase in financial aid to the region by 41 million pounds in 2018 and almost 80 million by 2020. Aid will be used to strengthen the rule of law and the judicial system. reforms of institutions, public administration and the security system. Parliaments, independent media and CSOs are also supported, as is the fight against corruption through stronger, professional and independent institutions.
Representative of the Polish Embassy, Veronica Staniec-Porcik, stressed that the 2019 Poznan Summit will continue the agenda of the Berlin Process, with the aim of strengthening regional cooperation of the Western Balkan countries. The novelty of this Summit will be to know the cultural values of the region and the Visegrád Group countries. Poland’s objective will be to share its experience of the EU accession process. She added that, although in 2019 the EU will focus much more on the European Parliament elections and the formation of the new Commission, Poland, when leading the process, will try to ensure that the EU’s interests towards the Western Balkans be taken into account. does not decrease.
Teacher Vancho Uzunov, national coordinator for the regional economic zone in the Macedonian government, stressed that the Western Balkans route to the EU passes exclusively through other Balkan countries, emphasizing the need to establish cooperation and a single market in the region. He believes that countries and their economies are directed towards each other, but that it is not easy to break down the barriers that have arisen between them in recent decades due to political and national problems. These barriers make it more difficult for foreign investors to approach the region, as well as the mobility of capital and workers and the recognition of their qualifications.
After the presentation of the policy document and the analysis of the political context before and after the London Summit, Ivan Nikolovski, junior researcher at IDSCS, concluded that, despite the debates that followed the Berlin process, it can still be described as a success, due to the visible results in many areas of regional cooperation – from bilateral issues to regional economic integrations, digitalization, youth issues and security. That is why it is necessary to find ways to use the Berlin process as a platform for the further development of regional cooperation as a special, but complex and parallel process to EU membership.
Igor Bandović of the European Fund for the Balkans concluded that the Berlin process had contributed to increasing the intensity of progress in the region, but also that many questions remained unanswered. He believes that the coming year, in which the EU will be preoccupied with elections, represents a good opportunity for continued progress and for the Western Balkan countries to demonstrate maturity, which will be of great importance for the path to EU membership.