Skopje, 15 October 2023 (MIA) – Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski will participate Monday in the Berlin Process Leaders’ Summit in Tirana, heading a government delegation which will also include Deputy Prime Minister in charge of European affairs, Bojan Marichikj, said the Government in a press release on Sunday.

The Summit is expected to be attended by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel, as well as numerous other leaders from participating countries such as Austria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and high representatives of CEFTA, OECD, World Bank Group, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, European Investment Bank, and others.

Working sessions will be held at the Summit discussing topics related to the region’s integration within the single market and the improvement of the convergence with the EU, as well as support for the green and digital transition in the Western Balkan countries. The achievements of the Berlin Process and the impact of the initiative on regional cooperation, its importance to the conclusion of the European integration process and bilateral relations are expected to be discussed at the Summit, as well.

Numerous documents are conclusions are expected to be adopted at the Summit, and the leaders of the Western Balkan countries are expected to sign the Agreement on the Recognition of Professional Qualifications for Nurses, Veterinary Surgeons, Pharmacists, and Midwives, as an extension to the Agreement signed at last year’s Summit which recognized the professional qualifications of doctors, dentists and architects.

At the Summit, Prime Minister Kovachevski is expected to hold meetings with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz; the European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, Olivér Várhelyi; the President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Odile Renaud-Basso; and the Vice President of the Europe and Central Asia Region at the World Bank, Antonella Bassani.

The Berlin Process is being developed with the support of the European Commission, international financial institutions, and the member states that are a part of the process – Germany, France, Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Italy, Slovenia, Greece, Poland, and the United Kingdom, alongside the six Western Balkan countries.