On 30 September, as part of Montenegro’s 2026 chairmanship of the Berlin Process, a Ministers’ Meeting was held focusing on strengthening regional economic cooperation and trade integration in the Western Balkans.
The meeting brought together the ministers responsible for economy and trade from the Western Balkans Six, as well as senior representatives of Berlin Process participating countries, the European Union and regional organisations.
Participants exchanged views on concrete steps to further advance regional economic cooperation, with a particular focus on implementing commitments, removing barriers to doing business, strengthening the competitiveness of companies, attracting investment, and progressively bringing the region’s economies closer to the European Union Single Market.
Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Policy and Minister of Economic Development Nik Gjeloshaj, who hosted the meeting, underlined that a more integrated regional market means fewer barriers, more predictable procedures, easier movement of goods, services and people, and greater opportunities for investment.
“For Montenegro, regional cooperation and European integration are two sides of the same process. As Chair of the Berlin Process, we want the same culture of implementing commitments that drives our reform process to also contribute to regional economic integration. A more integrated Western Balkans is not an alternative to European integration. It is part of the path towards it,” Gjeloshaj said.
The Ministers’ Meeting provided an opportunity to take stock of progress achieved to date and discuss the next steps towards deeper regional economic integration, greater competitiveness and a more favourable business environment across the region.