Impact of the Western Balkans Roadmap acknowledged at the Berlin Process Summit
Photo Credits: FoNet
On the 10th anniversary of the launching of the Berlin Process in 2014, the Leaders of Western Balkans Six, and the representatives of Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland, Slovenia, the United Kingdom, and representatives of the European Union (EU) and international and regional bodies and organizations as well as financial institutions met in person in Berlin on 14 October 2024 for the Summit Meeting of the Berlin Process. This was the opportunity to look back on a decade of progress in cooperation between the jurisdictions of the Western Balkans and between these jurisdictions and the EU.
In the Chair’s Conclusions of the Berlin Process Summit, participants stressed the wish for the continuation of the Berlin Process in order to harness the full potential of improved and inclusive regional cooperation. Conclusions also included a specific reference to the Western Balkans SALW Control Roadmap:
“The participants welcomed the significant progress achieved during the five years of the Western Balkans Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) Control Roadmap. The participants commended the authorities of the Western Balkans Six for the strong ownership and commitment, reinforced through the agreement on the revised text of the Roadmap for the implementation 2025-2030, which was consolidated at the SALW Control Roadmap Regional Coordination Meeting in Podgorica on 10 July 2024.”
According to the Conclusions, the participants also “underlined the commitment by the EU, Germany, France and the other donors to continue providing the required financial support and recognize the substantive value of the comprehensive coordination and monitoring mechanism established by the South Eastern and Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SEESAC), in cooperation with the authorities.”
In addition, a Joint Declaration on Reaffirming Good Neighbourly Relations and Regional Cooperation was adopted, which, among others, highlights the impact and relevance of the Western Balkans SALW Control Roadmap: “We, the Leaders of the Western Balkans Six … Agree that the successful implementation of the Western Balkans Small Arms and Light Weapons Control Roadmap, with its important impact on regional coordination and cooperation, crucially contributes to facilitating the ongoing efforts of the Western Balkans Six to meet key security standards for EU membership”.
The Roadmap was developed by the Western Balkans authorities with SEESAC’s technical support, under the auspices of the governments of Germany and France and with the support of the European Union and other relevant actors. It was adopted at the Berlin Process London Summit in July 2018. SEESAC is responsible for the coordination and monitoring of the Roadmap’s implementation, including supporting its implementation either through SEESAC directly or through a dedicated Multi-Partner Trust Fund, which has provided over 27 million USD to UNDP COs in the region and UNODC since 2020.
The Western Balkans SALW Control Roadmap is implemented with the funding support of the European Union through its Council Decision 2022/2321 in support of SEESAC for the implementation of the Regional Roadmap on combating illicit arms trafficking in the Western Balkans.