TIRANA, Sept. 14 – As German Chancellor Angela Merkel prepares to step down as leader of Germany after 16 years, she made a farewell visit to Albania to meet with leaders of the six Western Balkan countries to discuss EU integration.
In her meetings and a press conference, Chancellor Merkel focused on the progress the region had made and Germany’s role as a promoter of EU integration for the Western Balkans, but also admitted that the “impatience and frustration” many in the region feel with the slow pace of EU membership processes is understandable.
Chancellor Merkel first held a one-on-one meeting with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, followed by a bilateral meeting between the two state delegations. She then led a mini-summit of prime ministers from Western Balkan states.
The German Chancellor said Albania and North Macedonia have met the conditions to start membership negotiations, but it was unfortunate that Bulgaria’s veto meant that the negotiations were not opened.
“Germany has promised that we will close this process, because a lot of energy has been spent on it. When the fulfillment of the conditions is ascertained, there is no reason why the opening of negotiations should be postponed,” Merkel said at a joint press conference with Prime Minister Rama. “The EU must keep its promises to the Western Balkans, and I understand the impatience and frustration in the region with the delays in opening negotiations.”
Merkel became the initiator of the Berlin Process seven years ago, in August 2014, which involved the six countries of the Western Balkans in an effort to help integration efforts. The Berlin Process aims to normalize and revitalize the region’s infrastructure, economy and youth exchanges as well as improve security and reconciliation processes.
“The Berlin Process does not replace the process of membership in the European Union,” she added. “Membership negotiations are taking place for each country.”
As part of the Berlin Process, the six Western Balkan countries agreed in November last year to create a Common Regional Market, which Merkel urged that all countries increase efforts to implement.
In addition, three countries — Albania, Serbia and North Macedonia– have joined in the Open Balkan Initiative (previously known as “ mini-Schengen”), pushing tighter regional integration. But the other three countries in the region have refused to join seeing it as an unneeded parallel process.
The links between the Berlin Process and the Open Balkan Initiative were a point on which Prime Minister Rama spoke at length, noting the Open Balkan Initiative does not replace the Berlin Process.
“The Open Balkan is the offspring of the Berlin Process, it is not an alternative to the Berlin Process, nor is it an initiative in contradiction with the Berlin Process. Open Balkan is, no more and no less, a mechanism to accelerate the Berlin Process,” Rama said.
The Open Balkan Initiative has opened a rift between Kosovo and Albania, with Rama slamming Kosovo’s government during the press conference with Merkel, over what he said was refusal to join Open Balkan based on “conspiracy theories.”
However, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said at a press conference that the Berlin Process is wide and deep enough that there is no need for other alternatives.
Merkel was in Belgrade for a one-day visit before arriving in Tirana, where she repeated Germany’s stance of the need to solve the Kosovo-Serbia conflict as a condition for Serbia’s EU membership.
