Dencic: The main message of the Berlin Process is that the Western Balkans remains on the European agenda

Editor of the foreign affairs section at Radio Belgrade’s First Program, Nikola Dencic, told Kosovo Online that one of the key messages from the Berlin Process Summit held in London is that the entire Western Balkans remains on the European agenda. When it comes to the Kosovo–Serbia dialogue, he said one of the main conclusions is that it is now most important to unblock it.

“The messages are familiar. The Berlin Process was launched precisely to accelerate the integration of the Western Balkans into the European Union. It is by no means a substitute for the EU accession process, but it is an opportunity for the Western Balkan Six to strengthen cooperation and work on reforms that will later enable accession,” Dencic said.

According to him, the messages coming from the London Summit are closely linked to current developments, particularly the UN Security Council session on the situation in Kosovo.

“It was noted that there has been no progress in the dialogue over the past six months. Both sides were urged, on one hand, to continue working on dialogue, and on the other, to refrain from any actions that could lead to tensions or hinder the continuation of talks in Brussels. What’s important is that the entire Western Balkans remains on the European agenda, and that this continues to be discussed. EU officials have repeatedly said that this is a moment when the entire region could seize the opportunity and perhaps move more quickly toward EU accession. For Belgrade and Pristina, the priority right now is to unblock the dialogue and then move on to other key issues,” Dencic emphasized.

Speaking about regional economic integration, Dencic said it is taking place in several formats.

“There is, of course, the Berlin Process itself, and through the accession framework, work continues on integrating into the EU’s single market by creating certain facilitations for regional cooperation. Serbia, together with two other countries, launched the Open Balkan initiative, which has also been important for speeding up regional economic integration, something the EU clearly values. It should not be forgotten that, although the United Kingdom is no longer an EU member, it took on the organization of this Summit, which in a way shows that the government in London still wants to stay close to the EU despite the lack of formal membership. The UK government attaches great importance to the region’s integration, first, to integrate the entire Balkans into something resembling a single market, and then to continue toward EU accession,” he explained.

He added that the UK’s role as host also influenced the dominant topic of the Summit – migration.

“Although the United Kingdom is physically separated from the rest of Europe, the migration pressure remains significant, and that is a major issue in London right now. They want migration flows to be better regulated so that those arriving in the UK are people the country actually needs, coming legally rather than through illegal and uncontrolled migration. Within the Berlin Process meetings, there are always discussions about the economy and all issues where the Western Balkan countries can find common ground. The focus is always on what the six Western Balkan members can do together, while disagreements are to be resolved either through separate dialogues or within the framework of the EU accession process,” Dencic concluded.