24/06/2026
📍 Vienna: Prime Ministers Sherpas (PM Sherpas) and organisations supporting cooperation in the Western Balkans met for an important checkpoint ahead of the next stages of the Berlin Process.
The discussion focused on a clear message: political commitments need to be followed by concrete implementation, realistic timelines and visible results. 🤝
🔹 Amer Kapetanović, Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council - RCC, highlighted the progress achieved since previous PM Sherpa meetings. He underlined the importance of clarity on agreed deliverables, remaining challenges and realistic timelines, noting that cooperation, the Common Regional Market and gradual integration with the EU Single Market are closely connected.
🔹 Pranvera Kastrati, Director of the CEFTA Secretariat, stressed that commitments repeatedly confirmed at high-level meetings must now be matched by technical readiness and implementation on the ground. She noted that CEFTA’s work is advancing across several files, while stronger cooperation remains essential to move deliverables forward in practice.
Director Kastrati also highlighted the importance of trade facilitation, Green Lanes, infrastructure investments, and CEFTA’s new Academic Network and Research Award as tools for practical, policy-oriented cooperation. 🚛📚
🔹 Wojciech Kowalski, Advisor for the Western Balkans, DG ENEST, thanked RCC and CEFTA for their coordination and encouraged partners to focus on deliverables that citizens can directly benefit from. He pointed in particular to areas such as portability of social security benefits, recognition of insurance certificates and tourism-related cooperation.
🔹 Milica Perišić, PM Sherpa of the 2026 Berlin Process Host, presented the Berlin Process calendar and activities already held under the current presidency. She noted the strong pace of work across ministerial meetings, thematic forums, youth engagement, creative economy, public communication and digital cooperation, while encouraging timely participation and continued coordination ahead of the Leaders’ Summit. 📅
🔹 Tim Prange, PM Sherpa at the German Chancellor Cabinet, underlined the importance of showing both citizens and leaders that the Berlin Process continues to deliver meaningful results. He stressed that the process can complement EU accession and support intermediate steps towards integration, while progress must remain merit-based and linked to reforms.
The message from Vienna was clear: credibility depends not only on new commitments, but on delivering what has already been agreed, with tangible benefits for citizens, businesses and the European path of the Western Balkans.🚀
