Belgrade, 14 September 2021 (MIA) – Florian Bieber, director of the Center for Southeast European Studies at the University of Graz, says the key message that German Chancellor Angela Merkel would like to send during her farewell visit to the Western Balkans is the hope that the region will remain an important topic for Germany after the elections, MIA reports from Belgrade. Bieber told N1 TV that Merkel’s messages on the EU progress of Albania and North Macedonia expose the limits of what she and Germany could do regarding the enlargement process. “If we have a country like Bulgaria, which is not the most powerful of states, blocking the Euro-integration process, this shows the limits of the German influence in the EU,” he said. Bieber recalled that when Merkel first took office, there were optimistic scenarios that the Balkan countries could enter the EU but only Croatia joined. “This is, to a certain degree, Germany’s failure over the past 15 years. She is not responsible for this, but this shows the limits of the German influence in the region and within the EU,” noted Bieber. According to him, Merkel’s policy in the region has had good aspects but the Chancellor “failed to engage fully.” “The Berlin Process is not a bad initiative, but it is not deep and strategic enough to change negative trends in the region,” said Bieber.