Western Balkan heads of state arrive in Berlin for summit aimed at forging closer ties with EU

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

Transcript

00:00The heads of six Western Balkan states were welcomed to Berlin by German Chancellor Olaf

00:06Schultz during a summit aimed at forging closer ties between those nations and the European

00:12Union.

00:14The aim of the summit is to gradually bring Serbia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo,

00:21Montenegro and North Macedonia closer to the EU.

00:26President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen as well as representatives from

00:31nine EU member states and international organisations also took part in the talks.

00:37An action plan for a common regional market and a new mobility agreement, including access

00:42to higher education, is set to be signed at the summit.

00:48EU officials have said in the past that the war in Ukraine and other geopolitical concerns

00:53highlight the importance of a strategic partnership between the EU and the Balkans.