The Berlin Process Leaders’ Summit is taking place in Miločer, near Budva, bringing together the leaders of the six Western Balkan countries and senior representatives of the European Union. The meeting concludes Montenegro’s chairmanship of the initiative and focuses on European integration, the Kosovo–Serbia dialogue and increased economic cooperation in the region.
The opening remarks were delivered by Montenegrin Prime Minister Milojko Spajić and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. After Merz’s address, the summit continued behind closed doors and without media access.
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Merz appealed to Pristina and Belgrade to avoid escalation. He recalled that at the 2018 London Summit, participants had jointly opposed hate speech and the glorification of war criminals.
“If we want to create a better future for our children, we must not pour petrol on the fire,” the German chancellor said. According to him, this also applies to the dialogue aimed at normalizing relations between Kosovo and Serbia, a process that under the current circumstances is holding back all sides. Merz called for responsibility and concrete results.
The German chancellor described a stable, peaceful and economically developing Western Balkans as important to the EU’s future. He said membership remained a realistic goal for states that implement reforms, but stressed that progress must be measured on the basis of merit. Referring to protests in the region and in European Union countries, Merz emphasized that violence could not be an alternative for any side and warned of the risk of polarization and divisive rhetoric.
In his speech, Merz mentioned the achievements of the Berlin Process over the past 12 years, including the free movement of workers, investment, tourism, the green agenda and digital services. He singled out Montenegro as the country closest to completing the EU accession process.
European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos said before the meeting began that the countries of the region were entering a decisive phase for their European future. “We have decisive weeks and months ahead of us,” she said.
According to Kos, each country faces a specific objective. Montenegro must complete its accession negotiations, while Sunday’s parliamentary elections represent a key moment for Serbia. Albania must continue at the same pace in the integration process, while Kosovo, according to the commissioner, must continue in line with international law and the rule of law.
Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti used his statement to the media in Miločer to call for his country to be granted candidate status and for accession negotiations with the EU to begin. He cited democratic functionality, institutional stability and economic growth as arguments in support of the request.
“Now is the time for our country to receive candidate status and open negotiations for EU membership,” Kurti said. He announced that he would ask all EU leaders to call on the European Commission to issue an opinion on the matter.
A day before the summit, in Sveti Stefan, Kurti held a meeting with Commissioner Marta Kos. After the talks, he said that Kosovo, with fully functioning institutions, would accelerate reforms. As an example, he cited the recent law on integration into the SEPA area, which, according to him, would save citizens, businesses and the diaspora around €58 million a year.
Kurti also announced that negotiations on “Roam like at Home” were expected to begin soon. At the same time, he called on the European Commission to provide proactive support for obtaining candidate status.
Kosovo applied for membership in the European Union in December 2022, but has yet to obtain candidate status. Its European path is also linked to the normalization of relations with Serbia through the Brussels-mediated dialogue.
During the summit, Kurti called for all participating states to implement the agreements reached within the framework of the Berlin Process, with particular emphasis on Serbia. He said Kosovo had ratified all the agreements, including the one on the recognition of diplomas.
The agreement on the recognition of higher-education qualifications was signed in Berlin on November 3, 2022. On the same day, agreements were also signed on the free movement of people using identity cards and the recognition of the professional qualifications of doctors, dentists and architects. Kosovo’s Assembly ratified all three in February 2023, while Serbia’s Assembly did so on April 28, 2023. Kurti’s request refers to the practical implementation of these agreements.
The summit brought together all the leaders of the region: Albin Kurti, Edi Rama, Milojko Spajić, Serbian Prime Minister Gjuro Macut, North Macedonian Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski and Borjana Krishton, chairwoman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Also attending the meeting were German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker and France’s minister for Europe, Benjamin Haddad. Italy was represented by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani on behalf of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Representatives of the World Bank, the European Investment Bank and the EBRD were also present at the summit.
Prime Minister Edi Rama described the meeting as “an annual ritual” of importance to the region. At the start of his statement, he joked about security measures in Montenegro, saying that there were always helicopters overhead in the country.
Montenegro is viewed as the region’s most advanced country on the path toward the European Union. So far, it has provisionally closed 21 of the 33 negotiating chapters. Its progress is being slowed by neighboring Croatia because of several unresolved bilateral issues, including war crimes, missing persons, state property, the maritime border and the sailing ship “Jadran”.
During Montenegro’s chairmanship, 26 events were organized במסגרת the Berlin Process, 14 of them at ministerial level. This is the largest number of events held in the history of the initiative.
The Berlin Process was founded by Germany in 2014. The initiative aims to deepen political and economic cooperation between Kosovo, Albania, Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as to accelerate their rapprochement with the European Union.
