User:Tonyuk90/Western Balkans Six (WB6)

WB6 (Western Balkans Six) is the name for the (potential) economic and political organisation of countries located in the Western Balkans, which are part of the so-called Berlin process initiative.

These are Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia.

Despite the fact that all these countries aim to be full member states of the European Union, there is increasing talk that these countries should lay the foundations for a political-economic organisation among themselves that will be independent of the EU.

History
At the first conference of Western Balkan countries in Berlin held in 2014, many politicians of the European Union assessed that some countries in this region are not ready to be members of the European Union, referring especially to Bosnia-Herzegovina. A major problem was Kosovo as well, as an obstacle to dialogue and normal functioning between Serbia and Albania. Therefore, many EU leaders considered that until relations between all countries in the region are established, there should be no new enlargement of the EU to any of these countries.

As the process of convergence with the EU has progressed slowly in the coming years, these countries have increasingly been suggested to establish an economic and political community among themselves, which some countries (especially Montenegro, which has gone farthest in the process of EU accession negotiations) have rejected. The idea peaked at the fourth conference of Western Balkan countries in Trieste in 2017, when its host, Italy, called on WB6 countries to establish a common market among themselves. Besides Serbia, no other country in the region has been interested in this kind of co-operation, fearing it would lead to a distance from the EU accession process.

Nevertheless, the Berlin Process forced countries to start a process of economic cooperation among themselves, going beyond trade issues, which were already solved by their membership in CEFTA. One of the first forms of cooperation was the creation of a regional electricity market, agreed at the Fifth Western Balkans Conference in Vienna in 2015. In the coming years, Serbia recognised that it could be a leader in the WB6 countries and uses enhanced cooperation with all countries in the region. In addition, recognition of Kosovo as an independent country has become a minor obstacle in dialogue between Belgrade and Tirana.

Oncce the European Union has refused to start EU accession negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia in 2019., these countries have together with Serbia, decided to set up so called Mini Schengen (an area of free movement of goods, services, capital and people, along the same lines as the Schengen area). Other WB6 countries did not wish to participate in this process. Many consider this to be a milestone for these countries to strive to create their own political — economic union.