The next meeting within the Berlin Process, which will bring together the leaders of the Western Balkans and the European Union, will be held this month in Bulgaria's capital city Sofia.

The leaders are expected to adopt a plan for creating a common regional market during this meeting taking place on November 10, according to the European Western Balkans.

The European Commission said this community would bring tangible benefits to companies and citizens in the region, including the reduced cross-border bank charges, removing of technical trade barriers, coordination of investment policies, recognizing professional qualifications across the region and promoting e-commerce.

The Berlin process began in 2014. The goal of the process, initiated by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, was to reach a joint agreement on strengthening regional cooperation in the Western Balkans and resolving the remaining open issues in the region.

The European Fund for the Balkans, the European Council on Foreign Relations – Sofia office, and the Institute for Democracy “Societas Civilis” Skopje will jointly organize the Think Tank and Civil Society Forum on November 9, 2020, which will precede the Berlin Process 2020 Sofia Summit.

The idea of the event is to have the broader picture of geopolitics and geoeconomics discussed at the Think Tank Forum, and then a concretisation of the implications on the daily lives of citizens.