Skopje, 27 October 2021 (MIA) – The leadership that Germany showed through the Berlin Process is very important. Some of the benefits of the process are tangible, others are more optimistic. Peaceful, stable and democratic future for the region can be achieved only through a European future. If the European perspective it taken out of the equation, then a peaceful, stable and democratic future of the Western Balkans will be a challenge, Deputy PM for European Affairs Nikola Dimitrov told the Belgrade Security Forum on Wednesday. “In economic terms, Germany has a large presence in the region. It is the biggest trading partner of my country, with almost half of our output heading for the German market. Our political relations with Germany are excellent. And Germany is a member-state that has clearly recognized the strategic importance of the region’s Europeanization for the EU. This is very important for the people of the Western Balkans, because for them, the process means bringing the European way of life at home. Otherwise – and we are in a race against time here – it would be easier for many to leave for Germany, Italy and other member-states, and have the European life there. But the idea is to make the region European. The motivation for the process is to have tangible results in parallel with political commitment,” Deputy PM Dimitrov told forum panel “The Berlin Process – What’s Next?” On EU enlargement, he said the process is still in crisis, noting that Serbia opened the last chapter in December 2019, Montenegro in June 2020, whereas the March 2020 decision to start the accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania cannot still be implemented, despite the consensus. “There are no major developments. We had a summit that sent a good political signal, member-states needed a little bit of time to come to an agreement but eventually agreed to incorporate the word ‘enlargement’, an aspect that I consider to be important. But the Eurobarometer survey has shown that not only governments but also people in the region wonder if it is realistic that we join the EU one day. We are in the midst of elections and although I am not really a part of this, it is very important that the EU makes the European ballot a winning one. If we fail to deliver, because the EU cannot deliver to the region, then the pro-European, pro-reform forces will be challenged. This is where we’re at that the moment,” explained Dimitrov.