“We are talking about historic steps” — so says the German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock announced the planned signing of three agreements at the Western Balkans Conference, a summit in Berlin attended by top political leaders AlbaniaBosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North MacedoniaSerbia and the European Union within the framework of Berlin Process.
The Berlin Process was launched in 2014 under Chancellor Angela Merkel to bring the six Western Balkan states closer to the EU. So far, the meetings have mainly consisted of joint photo ops for politicians. But this time the focus will be on concrete issues, including the mutual recognition of identity cards, university diplomas and professional diplomas. What looks like a formality would be a step forward for the people of the Western Balkans, given that the signatories include countries like Serbia and Kosovo, which clashed in the 1999 Kosovo War and did not still not officially mutually recognized their independence.
At a preparatory conference on October 21 at the Foreign Ministry in Berlin, Baerbock made it clear that she considered the upcoming signings a credit to German diplomacy. In the first months of his term in office, Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke with all heads of government and state in the Western Balkans and also visited the region.
Interest in the Western Balkans has increased significantly within the EU since the Russian attack on Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Serbia, as well as Republika Srpska – the Serbian-dominated part of Bosnia – do not or only half-heartedly support EU policy. against the Putin regime. Moscow is also trying to gain or increase its influence in other Western Balkan countries.
Credit to German diplomacy
Ardian Hackaj, policy analyst at Tirana Connectivity Forum, follows the Berlin process. He considers the first tangible results of the platform as the merit of the German diplomatic offensive. “German Special Envoy Manuel Sarazzin’s continued engagement in the region, his regular contacts with all interested parties and a highly targeted approach based on small but manageable steps have provided a mechanism that would otherwise be lacking to guide the local political will,” Hackaj told DW.
It is extremely important to involve civil society in the Berlin process, Hackaj added. Formats currently being held in Berlin include three ministerial-level meetings and a two-day conference of civil society representatives.
Getting out of a dead end
The summit program is expected to conclude on November 3 with a signing ceremony in the presence of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The move aims to show that Berlin has not led the Berlin process into a dead end, as has been criticized in recent years, said Florian Biber, director of the Center for Southeast European Studies at the University of Graz.
“I think the agreements are an attempt to signal that the Berlin process is now more focused on concrete achievements,” he said, adding that the process had stalled in recent years. “So it’s very important to achieve a certain amount of success. Otherwise, everything would seem as if nothing had happened.”
Political alignment with the EU
Problems persist in the Western Balkans: unstable political situation Bosnia Herzegovinaproblems relating to EU accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania and security concerns arising from tense relations between Serbia and Kosovo.
Particular attention is paid to Serbia, not only because of the difficult past it shares with Kosovo, but also because of the pressure it receives from Brussels to align itself with the foreign policy of the EU in terms of visa system and sanctions against Russia.
Migration issues could be on the table
The increase in the number of refugees on the Balkan route is not officially on the agenda of the Western Balkans Conference. However, in response to a question from DW, organizers said they could not rule out a debate on the issue.
The countries involved in the case will be present on Thursday: Serbia, which allows people from countries such as India or Tunisia to enter without visas and continue their journey to the EU; Bosnia-Herzegovina, a transit country for migrants heading west; and EU member Croatia, which seeks to join the Schengen area next year and has been criticized for its practice of illegal pushbacks.
Focus on creating a common market
The creation of a common regional market for the six Western Balkan states is at the heart of the Berlin conference. The planned intergovernmental agreements are expected to help connect the Western Balkans to the EU market. “These agreements can give new dynamics to mobility in the region and economic cooperation, making them an important contribution to the creation of a common market,” said Anja Quiring of the German Committee for Economic Relations with Germany. ‘Eastern Europe.
It is difficult to say how the agreements will be reflected in concrete terms, Quiring said, adding the importance of further harmonization at legal and regulatory levels in the region. “From our point of view, intensifying intra-regional cooperation between the six Western Balkan countries can provide an important boost to the region’s economic prosperity,” she said.
Everyone DW interviewed on this subject agrees that signing agreements is one thing, but implementing them on the ground is another.
“There have been many declarations of intent and resolutions over the past eight years, but they have often been only partially implemented because there was no one to make sure they were put into action. work,” said Florian Bieber, arguing that often the host country had an agenda of its own and would reject previous arrangements. “Success is not measured by deals, but by what you do with them,” he said.
This article was originally written in German.