Vladisavljev: Undeniable success, but many points of the Berlin Process remain incomplete

Stefan Vladisavljev, Program Coordinator at the BFPE Foundation for a Responsible Society, says that the success of the Berlin Process is undeniable, particularly concerning the open and common market of Western Balkan countries, but that the process still feels incomplete.

"After ten years of implementing the process, many agenda points remain unimplemented. Despite the undeniable successes of the process itself, it still feels unfinished. With new momentum following Olaf Scholz’s arrival as Chancellor, some concrete steps seem to be on the horizon, but full implementation and execution are still expected," Vladisavljev told Kosovo Online.

He emphasizes that the issues of the open market and the common market of Western Balkan countries remained the key topics at yesterday’s 10th summit of the Berlin Process, with some progress toward the ratification of agreements in national parliaments, including Serbia’s.

"It seems we are one step away from that, but the question of commitment from all countries in the region, as well as from the European countries supporting the Berlin Process, remains," Vladisavljev noted.

Commenting on the effects of the summit, Vladisavljev says that the most positive aspect was that representatives from the EU, Europe, and the Western Balkan countries sat at the same table, ready to discuss.

"Summits like these don’t necessarily bring anything new, as we already know the main trends and tendencies. However, the positive takeaway is that we had relevant representatives from the European Union, European countries, and Western Balkan countries in one place, ready to discuss important economic and other issues for the entire region, and potentially some new instruments that will gradually bring the Western Balkan countries closer to the EU," Vladisavljev explained.

He emphasizes that the Berlin Process did not focus much on the dialogue process, but it did praise Pristina’s decision for a partial lifting of the blockade on the import of Serbian goods.  Vladisavljev adds that it wasn’t expected for normalization talks to be a central topic of the summit, as they fall under the EU’s jurisdiction.

On the other hand, he explains that the implementation of CEFTA was a key element of discussions at the summit and on its sidelines.

"It seems Pristina received a concession aimed at achieving a higher goal, which is that it will likely be included in the CEFTA mechanism instead of being represented by an international intermediary, who has been negotiating on its behalf until now. However, the half-measure implemented by Pristina at this moment will need to be adjusted if its CEFTA membership and further participation in the common market are to be at a relevant and legitimate level," Vladisavljev stressed.