Berlin Process

{{Infobox organization

| name = Berlin Process

| map = Western Balkans Summit participants (2015, 2016, 2017).svg

| mcaption = {{Leftlegend|#1B4D3E|Participating non-EU states}}{{Leftlegend|#2F847C|Participating EU states}}{{Leftlegend|#96d9d2|Rest of the EU}}

| formation = {{start date and age|2014|8|28}}

| type = intergovernmental organization

| membership = {{unbulleted list |class=nowrap|EU states:|{{AUT}} |{{Flag|Bulgaria}} |{{Flag|Croatia}} |{{FRA}} |{{GRE}} |{{GER}} |{{POL}} |{{SLO}} |{{ITA}} |Non-EU Balkan states:|{{Flag|Albania}} |{{BIH}} |{{Flag|Montenegro}} |{{Flag|Kosovo}} |{{Flag|North Macedonia}} |{{Flag|Serbia}} |Other non-EU states:|{{GBR}}}}

| language =

| website = https://www.berlinprocess.de/

}}

The Berlin Process is an intergovernmental cooperation initiative linked to the future enlargement of the European Union.

History

The Berlin Process started with the 2014 Berlin Conference, which was followed by the 2015 Vienna Summit, the 2016 Paris Summit, the 2017 Trieste Summit, the 2018 London Summit and the 2019 Poznań Summit. The Berlin Process was initiated in order to consolidate and maintain the dynamics of the EU integration process in light of increased euroscepticism and the five-year moratorium on enlargement announced by Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.{{cite web|url=http://shtetiweb.org/berlin-process/|title=THE BERLIN PROCESS|accessdate=May 26, 2014|author=ShtetiWeb|language=English|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150728093115/http://shtetiweb.org/berlin-process/|archive-date=July 28, 2015|url-status=dead}}

Aims

The Berlin Process is aimed at revitalizing the multilateral ties between EU candidate and potential candidate countries of the former Yugoslavia and Albania and selected EU member states, and at improving regional cooperation in those countries on the issues of infrastructure and economic development.{{Cite web|url=https://www.gov.pl/web/diplomacy/a-new-logo-for-western-balkans-summit-in-poznan|title=A new logo for Western Balkans Summit in Poznan|date=2019-02-27|website=Ministry of Foreign Affairs Republic of Poland|language=en-GB|access-date=2019-03-05}} It is one of the flagship diplomatic initiatives on South-east Europe of the third Merkel cabinet. It is complemented by initiatives relating to specific South-east European countries (e.g., the German-British diplomatic initiative for Bosnia and Herzegovina's EU accession).

Participating states

The initiative includes five non-EU Balkan candidates for EU membership (Montenegro, Serbia, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania) and a non-EU Balkan potential candidate (Kosovo), some EU members, i.e.: Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Greece, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Slovenia and one additional non-EU country, the United Kingdom.