“All countries involved, starting with Germany, remain enthusiastic about the potential of the Berlin Process. As you know, the EU member states involved in the process (including the UK) are strong supporters of the EU agenda for the WB6 and see the Berlin Process as a complementary mechanism that can assist the region in achieving its EU aspirations,” said State Secretary Zoran Popov
By Genc Mlloja
Senior Diplomatic Editor
“The Berlin Process Joint Presidency by the Republic of Bulgaria and the Republic of North Macedonia, a novelty of the BP, a new pattern for the first time involving a European Union candidate-country, carries a message of strengthened regional ownership,” has said the State Secretary of the Republic of North Macedonia, Zoran Popov.
Unveiling the point of view of Skopje in an exclusive interview with Albanian Daily News, Secretary Popov noted at the outset that the COVID-19 crisis has added to the uncertainty and unpredictability burdening the region, but also the whole European continent and it has also challenged the program design of the Joint Presidency. In face of this situation both Coordination Teams came together and reexamined the agenda, list of events and modus operandi in order to pursue the envisaged outcomes, said Mr. Popov. “Against the backdrop of COVID-19, the closed borders and the limited coordination prospects, the calendar of events needed to be adjusted in accordance with the search for a much-needed strategic approach for the adequate easing of today’s challenges.”
In a comment on the agenda of the Joint Presidency he said that along with the BP objectives it needs to be fit for purpose and aligned with the continuing efforts to effectively alleviate current regional challenges. “The COVID-19 crisis and the way it was dealt at the outset reaffirmed the importance of the regional cooperation and the interdependence among the countries in the region,” Mr. Popov said.
In a report on June 22 Albanian Daily News unveiled that with regard to the Sofia BP Summit the indicative dates discussed with the interested parties are – 20 October or 10 November, and as Ms. Daniela Boudinova, BP Special coordinator at Bulgarian MFA, revealed the final date will be fixed soon, taking into account the latest developments of the COVID-19 crisis and in agreement with our BP partners.
North Macedonia State Secretary Popov stressed that the Sofia Summit represents a great opportunity for leaders’ exchange and concrete contribution to the economic recovery of the region, with the after-shocks that will come once through pandemics is contained or at least put under control.
Mr. Popov believes that the Berlin Process remains a catalyst of regional cooperation. “Concurrently, it represents a strong platform for political messages, and inter alia serves as a reminder of the importance of a credible, progressive enlargement process and an achievable EU perspective. For the WB6 it is incumbent to achieve a breakthrough on this road. On the other hand, (socio-economic) disparity between the EU and the WB6 remains an issue of concern. Bridging the gap between the current and future member states should be a priority. The Berlin Process had often been seen as a potential remedy to this state of play.”
However, Mr. Popov drew the attention that despite the initial enthusiasm and BP’s ambitious agenda, things on the ground deserve a boost in order to translate political declarations and financial commitments into concrete action with regards to various infrastructure plans and priority areas for action.
“I firmly believe that we can do more and better, in close cooperation between the European Commission, EU Member States participating in the Berlin Process, the Regional Cooperation Council and other initiatives such as the WBF and RYCO, enabling bold, credible, viable and accelerated EU integration process of the WB6,” said the State Secretary at Foreign Ministry of North Macedonia, Zoran Popov in the following interview:
Albanian Daily News: A joint presidency of the Berlin Process. Please Mr. Secretary could you say a few words how will this initiative function and the message carried by it? Does North Macedonia think that the holding of the Summit in two regional countries gives weight to the regional ‘ownership’ of the Process?
State Secretary Zoran Popov: The Berlin Process Joint Presidency by the Republic of Bulgaria and the Republic of North Macedonia, a novelty of the BP, a new pattern for the first time involving a European Union candidate-country, carries a message of strengthened regional ownership. As such, it offers clear prospects for the inclusion of regional views in the broader agenda, while working together towards credible and tangible deliveries. The Joint Presidency provides grounds for interoperability between an EU member state (from the region) and a candidate country allowing us to achieve shared objectives through proactive and constructive interaction, coordination and collaborative solutions. Despite the complex setting prompted by the COVID-19 crisis, within the imposed limits and certain adaptations, we work towards the implementation of the key priorities, such as the facilitated movement within the region based on all-inclusiveness and a reinvigorated agenda for the regional economic area. I would like to underline the open and regular communication and very good cooperation between the two coordination teams, which have created positive predispositions for a prolific and well-designed agenda.
-Which was the motive of the meeting of the foreign ministers of North Macedonia and Bulgaria with the participation of WB counterparts and representatives of EU institutions held in Skopje on March 10?
-The meeting of the ministers of foreign affairs, representatives of EU institutions and the Regional Cooperation Council was held in Skopje on March 10, 2020. Gathering different stakeholders, it allowed us to successfully collect relevant feedback on a range of important issues, paving the way for advancing key issues on the agenda for BP 2020.
Despite the fluid situation and the difficult circumstances, we managed to ensure solid representation and gather number of ministers from the WB region and beyond to exchange views and opinions on issues of joint concern, such the overarching topics of European integration and the future of the Berlin Process. The Joint Statement adopted by the FMs from WB6 in the presence of other ministers and other high representatives added extra value to the meeting’s deliberations and provided a concrete indication of the reinvigorated commitment to the EU perspectives of the region.
A Think-Tank Forum was held back to back to the ministers’ meeting and brought the interaction between the think-tank community and governments to a totally different level (to “new heights” as it was underlined by the TT representative during the FM meeting).
-Although I am aware of the tough situation because of the coronavirus, it would be of great interest to learn on other activities held in the frame of preparations.
-The COVID-19 crisis added to the uncertainty and unpredictability burdening the region, but also the whole European continent. It also challenged the program design of the Joint Presidency. Few important activities, such as the Digital Summit (scheduled for April in Tirana) had to be canceled or postponed. Both Coordination Teams came together and reexamined the agenda, list of events and modus operandi in order to pursue the envisaged outcomes. Against the backdrop of COVID-19, the closed borders and the limited coordination prospects, the calendar of events needed to be adjusted in accordance with thesearch for a much-needed strategic approach for the adequate easing of today’s challenges. For example, the meeting of ministers of interior (planned for this summer) had to be pushed back to autumn in order to keep alive the idea of substantive deliberations and deliveries. We still need to find modalities on howto hold other important events (for example the Youth Summit and the ministerial meeting related to Roma Declaration) in adequate formats.
-Mr. Secretary, have you started consultations with member countries of the Process and any working informative meeting with WB journalists?
-The consultations with other countries, the EU institutions, Regional Cooperation Council and other relevant stakeholders are underway. Although our coordination efforts are challenged given the complexity of the situation, we are willing to find adequate ways and workable solutions to make the most out of the Joint Presidency. Conditions permitting, once we are ready to proceed with the adapted agenda, we plan to inform the media, NGOs and other partners accordingly with the new plans and expected outcomes.
– Which would be the platform and agenda of the Summit(main guidelines of it and motto), its participants? Secondly, which are the expectations of North Macedonia from the Summit?
-The Joint Presidency, based on the previous experiences, is driven by the idea of “deepening vs. widening.” Our main aim was to foster a holistic approach to connectivity in order to boost economic cohesion in the region in all its aspects (people-to-people contacts, facilitated transport, energy, youth, environment, education, new technologies, digital integration…) Having in mind the observations of the Zagreb Summit, our expectations along with those of the participating states are related to the economic package that will add weight to the ongoing efforts for further cohesion. Our ambitions related to interconnectivity should be reinforced. When prioritizing, we aimed to advance certain processes in the region for the benefit of the citizens, such as the free movement with ID cards, move forward and reinvigorate MAP-REA (2.0), give additional impetus to the provisions of the Roma Declaration adopted in Poznan last year, etc. We also need to re-think, find creative solutions and aim to include topics incumbent to the economic revival of the region, ranging from transport to mutual support to public health.
The agenda of the Joint Presidency, along with the BP objectives, need to be fit for purpose and aligned with the continuing efforts to effectively alleviate current regional challenges. The COVID-19 crisis and the way it was dealt at the outset reaffirmed the importance of the regional cooperation and the interdependence among the countries in the region. The Sofia Summit represents a great opportunity for leaders’ exchange and concrete contribution to the economic recovery of the region, with the after-shocks that will come once the pandemics is contained or at least put under control.
We believe that the meeting is the right venue for discussion of the above-mentioned topics, in addition to the previously envisaged (and tentative) ones, which include civil society, integration of Roma, green agenda for the WB, foreign affairs, youth. We are in constant communication and maintaining close consultations with the EC, RCC and other regional partners and despite all challenges, we are hopeful of success.
-2014-2020: in Skopje’s view has the Berlin Process delivered in carrying out its initial targets? -The Berlin Process remains a catalyst of regional cooperation. Concurrently, it represents a strong platform for political messages, and inter alia serves as a reminder of the importance of a credible, progressive enlargement process and an achievable EU perspective. For the WB6 it is incumbent to achieve a breakthrough on this road. On the other hand, (socio-economic) disparity between the EU and the WB6 remains an issue of concern. Bridging the gap between the current and future member states should be a priority. The Berlin Process had often been seen as a potential remedy to this state of play.
Despite the initial enthusiasm and ambitious agenda, things on the ground deserve a boost in order to translate political declarations and financial commitments into concrete action with regards to various infrastructure plans and priority areas for action. People in the region have to note the difference and this can be done only through tangible deliverables. The urgency of such an approach is particularly pronounced in a context where the corona pandemic intensifies various economic, healthcare and social challenges for the broader region. The implementation of concrete initiatives and visible projects would also contribute towards the value and relevance of the Berlin Process as well as its image in the eyes of different interest groups and the public. The Roaming Agreement between the EU and the WB is a good example of how things should and can be done.
Building up the success stories would allow the initiative to become recognized as results-oriented, serving as both a stimulating example and as a guideline for the way forward.
-To conclude, Mr. Secretary is the initial enthusiasm of the launcher of the Process, Germany, still vivid and secondly is London keen on it as before although Britain is out of EU now?
-All countries involved, starting with Germany, remain enthusiastic about the potential of the Berlin Process. As you know, the EU member states involved in the process (including the UK) are strong supporters of the EU agenda for the WB6 and see the Berlin Process as a complementary mechanism that can assist the region in achieving its EU aspirations.
I firmly believe that we can do more and better, in close cooperation between the European Commission, EU Member States participating in the Berlin Process, the Regional Cooperation Council and other initiatives such as the WBF and RYCO, enabling bold, credible, viable and accelerated EU integration process of the WB6.
