First initiated by Germany, the Berlin Process aims to bring six Western Balkan states closer to the EU, Euronews reports.

 

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday welcomed the heads of six Western Balkan countries during a Berlin summit aimed at forging closer ties between those nations and the EU. 

 

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, representatives from nine EU member states, and international organisations also participated in the talks. 

 

The aim of the summit is to gradually bring Serbia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro and North Macedonia closer to EU membership. 

 

Of those six countries, only Kosovo is not an official EU membership candidate country. The 27-member bloc has not admitted a new member since Croatia in 2013. 

 

At the summit, an action plan for a common regional market and a new mobility agreement, including access to higher education, are set to be signed.  

 

EU officials have said in the past that the war in Ukraine and other geopolitical concerns highlight the importance of a strategic partnership between the EU and the Balkans. 

 

The Western Balkan summits under the Berlin Process brand have been held annually in the German capital since 2014. 

 

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is also reportedly travelling to the summit, according to government spokesperson Zoltan Kovacs.