Thomas Schieb (BETAPHOTO/MILAN OBRADOVIC/MO)
German Ambassador to Serbia Thomas Schieb has described this week’s summit of the Berlin process as “successful” adding that it “constitutes an important step on the path towards implementing the Regional Common Market” in the Western Balkans.
“It is important to say that the Berlin process does not only aim at enhancing regional economic cooperation, but that it is also about building trust and facilitating reconciliation among the Western Balkan countries, paving the way to eventual EU membership,” Schieb said in a statement for BETA.
The ambassador recalled that after the online summit hosted by Germany, German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced that Germany would bilaterally donate three million anti-COVID-19 vaccine shots to the region.
On July 5, Berlin was the host of the virtual, eighth summit of the Berlin process, with the regional common market, agreed on during a summit in Sofia in November 2020, being one of the main topics.
In addition to the leaders of the Balkan Six (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Serbia), on the invitation of Markel, the prime ministers of Croatia and Slovenia, Janez Jansa and Andrej Plenkovic respectively, French President Emmanuel Macron, and the prime ministers of Italy, Austria and Poland – Mario Draghi, Sebastian Kurz and Mateusz Morawiecki – also took part in the summit.
The participants were also addressed by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, EU Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi, and Regional Cooperation Council Secretary-General Majlinda Bregu. Serbia was represented by Prime Minister Ana Brnabic.
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