According to Parametar, Montenegro will host the Berlin Process Leaders’ Summit on 21–22 October. The meeting will take place at the Sveti Stefan resort and will be the highlight of Montenegro’s chairmanship of this regional forum in 2026, the country’s government has announced.
Montenegrin Prime Minister Milojko Spajić and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz are scheduled to open the summit.
Leaders from six Western Balkan countries – Serbia, Montenegro, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Kosovo – as well as representatives of the Berlin Process participating countries, EU leadership, international financial institutions and regional organisations.
For Serbia, this meeting will be important primarily in terms of regional trade, transport and energy links with the EU, a common regional market and the further economic integration of the Western Balkans.
Ahead of the October summit, Montenegro will host a series of sector-specific meetings. Economy ministers will meet on 30 September in Cetinje, foreign ministers on 1 October in Budva, and events dedicated to the digital agenda, issues relating to the Roma community, and science and research will also take place in October.
What is the Berlin Process?
The Berlin Process was launched by Germany in 2014 as a framework for cooperation between the EU and the six countries of the Western Balkans. Its aim is to accelerate regional economic integration, the development of transport and energy infrastructure, and the free movement of people and business, as well as to help countries in the region move closer to EU standards. However, the Berlin Process does not replace official EU accession negotiations; rather, it complements them with specific regional initiatives and projects.
In addition to the countries of the Western Balkans, Germany, Austria, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Poland, Greece, Croatia, Slovenia and Bulgaria are involved in the process, as are EU institutions and international organisations.