Interview with Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland, responsible for the Berlin process. The Western Balkans Summit of the Berlin Process will take place in the Polish city of Poznań on July 4-5, 2019.
European Western Balkans: First of all, can you tell us more about the plans for the Poznań summit? What will be the main themes of the Summit?
Szynkowski vel Sęk: After my consultations with all our Western Balkan counterparts and civil society representatives in September and November 2018, described and summarized at the conference on December 3, 2018 in Poznań, we finalized the Polish Presidency program for this year, based on four pillars: economy, connectivity, civil society (encompassing youth, culture and bilateral issues) and security.
The Western Balkans Summit will take place in Poznań on July 4-5. Leaders will meet on July 5 to focus on the economy and connectivity. The day before, we plan to organize three ministerial formats: the meetings of the Ministers of Economy, Interior/Security and Foreign Affairs. We are working on the agenda for these events.
Another element of the Summit is the engagement of civil society, young people and businesses.
The economy is at the heart of our program. It is for this reason that on July 4, the EU-WB Business Forum will be organized to provide a networking space for entrepreneurs and a platform for businesses, civil servants and civil society where they can meet through panels open discussions.
Civil society, think tanks and youth also play an important role in our agenda. Their representatives will meet on the 3rd and 4th Julyhaving the opportunity to interact with both government officials and businesses.
What I would like to emphasize is that the Polish presidency is not limited to the summit alone. We will organize numerous seminars and conferences throughout the year, one of the most prominent examples being the Forum of Cities and Regions in Rzeszów. We will also involve other ministries, for example the Ministry of Education is planning a youth conference on digital issues and innovation.
ISF: What can the Western Balkan countries learn from the Polish experience in terms of European integration?
VS: First, during our transformation from a communist system to a functioning market economy and democracy, we implemented many difficult reforms. There are good practices and lessons learned that we are willing to share with the Western Balkans. Our example clearly shows that accession is a difficult process, but all the efforts are worth it: Poland has achieved immense success over the last 30 years, and EU membership has been an essential part of it . We include the pre-accession experience in our Berlin Process presidency program, both at the political level (on the agenda of ministerial meetings) and in the working seminars. For example, on February 15, we organized a meeting of EU ministers on the effective use of EU funds. Later, experts will have the opportunity to discuss these issues at the Forum of Cities and Regions.
Second, the first World Bank summit in a country that joined the EU after 2000 would be a powerful symbol. The combination of expertise from “old” and “new” Member States is already a great asset of the Berlin Process, as WB6 can benefit from diverse perspectives. Last but not least, in 2019 Poland celebrates the 15thth anniversary of EU accession, which will constitute a very good political signal and a source of inspiration for both societies and governments of the WB.
ISF: Some Western Balkans experts following this process emphasize that the rule of law should be included on the agenda, as it is one of the negative issues affecting the entire Western Balkans. Do you agree with this opinion?
VS: The rule of law is one of the fundamental principles of the European Union. It is also a key element of the enlargement process, in which all the Western Balkans participate. However, the enlargement process and the Berlin process cannot be repeated. The two are complementary, but rely on different approaches. The aim of the Berlin Process is to focus on a reduced number of thematic areas in which specific projects are implemented for the benefit of the entire Western Balkans region. It is in this narrower and very pragmatic approach that the added value of the Berlin process lies. This is why previous presidencies and the current Polish Presidency have tried to maintain its character and not dilute it by including too many new areas of interest. This does not change the fact that good governance and the rule of law must remain at the top of the priorities of EU Member States, candidate countries and potential candidates, but in our view the enlargement process carried out by the Commission is the best framework for dealing with rule of law issues.
ISF: One of the major problems in the region is youth unemployment and the brain drain. Given that youth is on the agenda, how will this year’s Summit address this issue?
VS: During the Summit, we plan to discuss each topic with a focus on the youth perspective. Whether it is economic growth, good neighborliness or political stability, it is always about the future of young people. We are currently preparing for these discussions, discussing with NGO representatives from the World Bank how to reflect the issues of utmost importance. Obviously, youth unemployment is part of this and that is why we plan to organize the Civil Society Forum alongside the Business Forum, so that the young participants can be inspired by the synergies coming from this unexpected link.
We would also like the ministers responsible for economic growth in their respective countries to discuss the conditions and initiatives necessary to stimulate the economic activities of young people. This would cover issues such as structured public support, access to finance, skills and mentoring, but also broader aspects such as quality of employment or quality of life – where all of these elements influence individual decisions. to stay in your own country and contribute to its prosperity.
ISF: Last year, the Security Engagement Steering Group was established by Home Affairs Ministers with the intention of meeting twice a year. Are they on the agenda for this year’s summit and what contribution does Poland intend to make in the area of security?
VS: At the London Summit last year, the UK Presidency offered to chair the group for the first year (12 months), which was welcomed by members of the Berlin Process. The first meeting of the SC Steering Group, chaired by UK Home Affairs, took place in Podgorica (November 2018). The UK is planning another steering group meeting in April this year, and Poland is ready to continue with the next ones. Furthermore, experts from the Polish Ministry of Interior and Administration and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are already closely cooperating with their British colleagues in the preparation of joint actions including all meetings. We are planning a series of security-focused activities to be undertaken by our Western Balkan colleagues in cooperation with other Berlin Process partners.
ISF: At the 2015 Vienna Summit, the Declaration on Regional Cooperation and the Resolution of Bilateral Disputes was signed. Excluding the Prespa Agreement and the finalization of the border dispute between Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, there has been no major progress in this area. Why is Poland avoiding contributing in this area?
VS: I do not agree with the assessment that Poland does not contribute to this area. On the contrary, bilateral issues will be the main theme of the meeting of foreign ministers of the Berlin process, which will take place on April 11 and 12 in Warsaw. The plenary session will build on the outcome of bilateral issues from March in Skopje. Operationally, we are coordinating with Austria, Great Britain, Macedonia and the European Commission, so that, both at the stocktaking seminar and at ministerial meetings, we can facilitate progress on bilateral issues.
Moreover, even before joining the Berlin Process, we shared our own reconciliation experience and best practices with the young people of the WB through a German-Polish seminar “Reconciliation and Remembrance” in Krzyżowa for students and young people graduates from the WB, Poland and Germany. Its third edition will take place in June.
ISF: This year, for the first time, a separate city summit will take place in Rzeszów with the idea of strengthening cross-border cooperation. Can you give us more details about this summit and its agenda?
VS: Thank you for this question. You are right: during our presidency of the Berlin Process, we plan to organize the first ever Forum of Cities and Regions to be held in Rzeszów, Poland, from June 4 to 6, 2019. The motto of the Forum is “ Investing in the Western Balkans. – Invest in Europe”. The main topics of debate will include sharing experiences from the EU accession process and cross-border cooperation. Particular attention will be paid to the role of local and regional governments in stimulating their socio-economic development.
In the Forum program, the major point will be a meeting of ministers responsible for regional development, urban policy and the management of EU funds, also including representatives of the EC, the CoR, the EIB and the EBRD. It would include two thematic blocks (referring to the EC Strategy for the Western Balkans and its six flagship initiatives), namely: a) the block on socio-economic development, where the debate would focus on the modalities and effects of the use of EU resources. funds and instruments to support the socio-economic development of regions and cities; b) the bloc on communication (connectivity), where the debate would focus on: ongoing/planned trans-European network projects in the field of transport, energy, digital services and the funds available for this purpose, development new and improving existing connections between the Western Balkans and the EU.
We are also planning other events accompanying the Rzeszów Ministerial Meeting, such as a conference on experiences of implementing Interreg projects, the European Neighborhood Instrument and the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA).
We hope to bring together ministers, decision-makers, experts and program beneficiaries in Rzeszów.