According to Parametar, Montenegro will host the Berlin Process Leaders’ Summit on October 21–22. The meeting will take place at the Sveti Stefan resort and will be the main event of Montenegro’s presidency of this regional forum in 2026, the country’s government announced.
Montenegrin Prime Minister Milojko Spajić and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz are scheduled to open the summit.
Leaders of six Western Balkan countries—Serbia, Montenegro, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, and Kosovo—have been invited to Sveti Stefan, along with representatives of Berlin Process member states, EU leadership, international financial institutions, and regional organizations.
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.
Montenegro will hold a series of sector-specific meetings leading up to the October summit. Economy ministers will meet on September 30 in Cetinje, foreign ministers on October 1 in Budva, and events dedicated to the digital agenda, Roma community issues, 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 EU cooperation with the six countries of the Western Balkans. Its goal is to accelerate regional economic integration, the development of transportation and energy infrastructure, and the free movement of people and businesses, as well as to help countries in the region align with 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 participating in the process, as well as EU institutions and international organizations.
