For the last two days (9-11 October), our Director of Programmes (Mr. Zeneli) represented the Re-ACT Lab at the Civil Society & Think Tank Forum organised under the umbrella of Berlin Process 2024. Since its inception, the Forum has become an integral part of the Berlin Process, involving civil society to contribute their ideas to advance cooperation and integration in the Western Balkans.

At the follow-up meeting of CSOs and Think Tanks in Berlin, Mr. Zeneli had the chance to contribute to the discussions raised by the panels. Reflecting on the recommendations of the study “Ten Years of the Berlin Process: Stocktaking Study”, especially on the suggestion of formalising and institutionalising BP, Mr. Zeneli presented another perspective on the informal cooperation mechanisms and promoted the importance this informality has played in the BP. He brought to the attention the findings of Re-ACT Lab Research Study “The Potential of Informal Cooperation to Drive the Integration of WB6 Countries into the European Union: Comparative study between Berlin Process and EU-CELAC Process”, emphasising that informality allowed the Berlin Process to maintain flexibility and agility in setting agendas and push forward topics that, in a formalised setting such as CEFTA, RCC, RYCO, etc., have shown to be almost impossible. At the same time, he stressed that when talking about formalisation, we should be careful about the impact such formalisation would have on its operation, especially in light of the recent blockages and disagreements impacting formalised institutions. 

Additionally, Re-ACT Lab contributed to the discussion related to the reconciliation process in the region by advocating for the BP to address reconciliation and dealing with the past in the region from a bottom-up approach. Additionally, it was recommended that reconciliation and dealing with the past be reviewed based on facts and principles of transitional justice.

Finally, with regard to the topics of CRM and regional mobility, Mr. Zeneli emphasises that more needs to be done by each WB6 country. In the discussion regarding the cooperation gap between CSOs and regional trade (especially CEFTA), he brought forward the findings of our policy brief “Unblocking CEFTA: The Necessity for Reforms to Enable Economic Cooperation and Development in WB6”, recommending several reforms at CEFTA that could close these gaps, such as introducing trade and sustainability chapters and domestic advisory groups. As per our findings, trade and sustainability chapters would allow CEFTA to include issues related to climate change, protection of the environment, and labour rights within the trade, whereas DAGs would create legal obligations for each party to establish direct consultations with CSOs, trade unions, academia, etc., in their trade policies at CEFTA. He further explained that these are normal practices for EU Free Trade Agreements, and if CEFTA is meant to prepare its members for EU membership, then alignment with such EU trade policies and practices is a crucial first step.

Beyond Mr. Zeneli's interventions at CSO and Think Tank Forum in Berlin, we were happy to bring to the discussions Re-ACT’s perspectives and recommendations, which can be found below:

1. Growth Plan (GP) has a lot of potential, but if not directly linked to the EU accession process, it risks being ‘just another financial instrument’ among many others. Linking the successful implementation of specific reforms at the Growth Plan with opening/closing accession chapters would allow the GP to become the transformative initiative promoted thus far. For more, read Re-ACT’s discussion paper on the role and the key challenges of EU Growth Plan in this link.

2. While Conditionality remains a buzzword in the region, tangible rewards and incentives for meeting conditions are crucial to revitalising the enlargement process. The conditionalities under the GrowthPlan should be agreed upon amongst the EC and Member States to ensure the accession process will not be blocked or delayed once the conditions are met. For more, read Re-ACT’s discussion paper on navigating the EU conditionality in the New Growth Plan for the WB6 in this link.

3. CEFTA remains one of the most important treaties the region has when it comes to trade. We were happy to witness that our recommendation on Kosovo’s representation and the establishment of the Dispute Settlement Body has been addressed, allowing for an equal representation of all its members and for disputes to be resolved through independent bodies based on legal reasoning rather than on political discussions. However, to ensure the region fully benefits from its potential, it is crucial that reforms at CEFTA go beyond these two aspects. We recommend the inclusion of Trade and Sustainable Development Chapters and Domestic Advisory Groups. These two mechanisms allow CEFTA and the countries in the region to address global challenges and international standards while bringing regional trade and trade organisations such as CEFTA closer to civil society, trade unions, academia, etc. For more, read Re-ACT’s policy brief on unblocking and reforming CEFTA in this link.

4. The role of the Berlin Process in advancing regional cooperation and helping WB6 countries toward their EU integration continues to be significant and currently irreplaceable. Analysing the Berlin Process through the characteristics of informal mechanisms of governance allows us to see its significant results in bringing WB6 citizens closer to regional processes, in allowing countries to bypass bilateral issues and focus on regional priorities, in opening accession-related discussions to non-state actors, and also in raising the standards of the region to discuss topics such as climate change, labour rights, social inclusion, etc. For more, read Re-ACT’s research study on the informality of the Berlin Process in this link. 

As part of the #HomeandAbroad programme, Re-ACT Lab monitors the implementation of the Berlin Process, which is one of the most important tools in preparing the region for EU accession. We are happy to receive your feedback on our work as we further our research on topics related to this process.

Re-ACT Lab promotes research and innovation as a means to advance governmental and policy-making reforms in Kosovo and regionally.