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Berlin Process: New impetus for the Western Balkans moving closer to the EU
“Family photo” at the Foreign Ministers Meeting in Belfast © Photothek Media Lab
Foreign Minister Wadephul is travelling to Belfast to join partners in the Berlin Process in pushing forward the Western Balkan countries’ approach to the EU.
On 8 and 9 October 2025, the Foreign Ministers of the Berlin Process will meet in Belfast to support the countries of the Western Balkans on their path towards regional integration and towards the EU. The British chair’s focuses this year are reconciliation, security, regional economic integration and migration. This meeting will be followed by the summit of heads of state and government in London on 22 October.
Launched in 2014, the Berlin Process aims to promote regional cooperation with the six Western Balkan countries. In addition to Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia, the format includes several EU member states, the United Kingdom and EU institutions.
Prior to his departure for Belfast, Foreign Minister Wadephul said:
The Western Balkans is part of our European family. It is therefore clear to us that we will accompany the six countries in the region on their path towards the EU.
The Berlin Process is the catalyst in the EU accession process of the Western Balkan countries. This mechanism is more important than ever. After all, people are beginning to lose confidence that they will be part of the EU in the near future. We cannot afford to let that happen because we would then run the risk of a return to the old days of hostility and a bigger role for Russia and China.
The prime focus of the Berlin Process is on joint endeavours for a future with strong neighbourly relations and a competitive regional economy. The aim is to overcome divisions and achieve tangible improvements in people’s everyday lives – whether it be through cross-border youth work, freedom of travel or the mutual recognition of qualifications. A more strongly integrated regional market will promote growth and draw the six countries closer to the EU in economic terms as well.
The location for the meeting was chosen deliberately: more than almost anywhere else, Belfast is a symbol of successful reconciliation after decades of social division.
Of course, in some cases there is still a long way to go – especially when it comes to reconciliation. For that reason, too, the location our British friends and hosts have chosen for this year’s Foreign Ministers’ Meeting is of special importance: Belfast symbolises how reconciliation became possible after decades of social division. Not overnight. But with patience, political will and, above all, the courage of many people to reach out to each other time and again in difficult circumstances.
-Foreign Minister Wadephul prior to his departure for Belfast