The Berlin Process - 2017

Feb 9, Skopje

WB6 Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Energy

• WB6 Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Energy
• Italian Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs
• DG NEAR Commissioner 
• Representatives of IFIs 
• RCC Secretary General 
• 50 million euro to support energy efficiency and renewable energy were allocated
• Transport Community Treaty will be signed
• Roadmap on Regional Market on Electricity and Sustainability Charter to be implemented

March 16, Sarajevo

WB6 Prime Ministers meeting

• WB6 Prime Ministers
• Representatives of Italy, the EC and the EEAS
• Further progress is needed to improve border crossing procedures and infrastructure facilities
• Proposal to further economic cooperation in the WB6 announced for the Trieste Summit

Apr 26-28, Tirana

Civil Society Forum

• Regional civil society organisations and think tanks
• Recommendations for the Trieste Summit formulated (youth cooperation, rule of law / anticorruption, business environment, bilateral issues)

Jun 14-16, Paris

Joint Science Conference

• National Academies and Rector’ Conferences and Universities of WB6, Austria, Germany, Italy and Slovenia; representatives of France, Italy and the EC; RCC; regional and EU scientists and experts 
• Recommendations for the Trieste summit agreed upon (to establish the WB Research Foundation and to develop a WB Action Plan for Smart Growth)

Participants:

• WB6: Presidents and Prime Ministers, Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Economy
• EU: EC President and V.-President, DG NEAR and DG MOVE Commissioners, HR of the EU Foreign Policy and Security Affairs
• Austria, Croatia, Germany, France, Italy, Slovenia and the United Kingdom: Prime Ministers, Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Economy
• International financial institutions

Topics:

• Connectivity agenda 
• Transport Community
• Rule of law and fight against corruption 
• Regional economic integration
• SMEs development
• Education and science

Commitments:

• Treaty Establishing Transport Community signed
• Multi-annual Action Plan for a Regional Economic Area adopted 
• Joint Declaration Against Corruption agreed upon
• 7 additional connectivity investment projects agreed upon
• A grant for co-financing and the balance loans from the EIB and the EBRD provided 
• Connectivity Europe Facility (CEF) mobilized for the first time
• Digital Summit to be held
• 48 million euro will be provided for SMEs through WB EDIF 
• Western Balkans Research Foundation to be established

Highlight:

• Recommendations on regional cooperation and bilateral relations, rule of law / anti- corruption, youth cooperation, business climate, environment, and more efficient communications of the Berlin Process were presented

Highlight:

• The Secretariat of the WB6 CIF inaugurated

Highlight:

• The work of RYCO, the Young Civil Servants Scheme, Erasmus + programme discussed

August 26, Durres

WB6 Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Energy Informal meeting of WB6 Prime Ministers

• WB6 Ministers of Foreign Affairs 
• DG NEAR Commissioner
• 115-point plan - a road map to deepen regional economic cooperation agreed upon

Sep 20, New York

Meeting of the WB Ministers of Foreign Affairs in New York

• WB6 Ministers of Foreign Affairs 
• DG NEAR Commissioner
• RCC Secretary General 
• MAP for the REA was discussed

Oct 26, Sofia

EU – Western Balkans Justice and Home Affairs ministerial forum in Sofia

• Ministers for Justice and Home Affairs of WB6, Estonia, Bulgaria and Austria
• DG HOME and DG JUST Commissioners
• Ensuring effective border management and fighting migrant smuggling are top priorities
• It is necessary to strengthen operational partnership to efficiently and effectively address counter-terrorism and radicalisation, and transnational organised crime

Oct 31, Brussels

Meeting of MAP coordinators for the REA

• WB6 MAP coordinatorsRepresentatives of the EU institutions, RCC, CEFTA and WB6 CIF, the World Bank and the EBRD
• Full implementation of the Action plan and the formation of the regional economic area would begin in 2023
• RCC to work on mutual recognition of professional and academic qualifications, on single roaming space, on regional investment reform agenda; and to co-organise the Digital Summit

Dec 18, Brussels

Meeting of the Berlin Process Sherpas

• WB6 official representatives 
• Representatives of the DG NEAR 
• RCC Secretary General
• Monitoring reports on MAP for the REA and Connectivity agenda implementation plans presented
• The WB6 presented plans for the coming months for implementation of the Connectivity agenda, for MAP for the REA and for the related reforms