EIB Vice-President Lilyana Pavlova participated at the Berlin Process 2022 Western Balkans Summit that was held on November 3rd in Berlin.
The event was chaired by Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz and attended by heads of states from the Western Balkans, representatives of the participating EU countries, the UK, as well as international financial institutions and regional organisations. Given the geo-political implications of the Russian invasion of Ukraine the agenda had a particular focus on energy security and green transition and the region’s commitment to expedite implementation of the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans. It also addressed initiatives to enhance the development of the Common Regional Market, announced under the Berlin Process in November 2020.
The Berlin Process was established in 2014 as platform for all Western Balkans states (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia) to accelerate closer alignment with the EU and deepen regional integration and cooperation, as a key to economic growth and peace in the Western Balkans. In this context, it focuses on areas such as infrastructure development, business, regional youth exchanges, reconciliation and science.
To date, the initiative brought tangible results for the people in the region by accelerating the development of sustainable transport infrastructure, instigating the green transition and regional cooperation, which are important milestone towards alignment with the EU and enlargement ambitions.
*this designation is without prejudice to the positions expressed by the EU Member States on Kosovo’s status and is in line with United Nations Security Council Resolution No. 1244/1999 and the International Court of Justice Opinion of 22 July 2010 on Kosovo’s declaration of independence.
Read the speech by EIB Vice-President Pavlova given at the event