Minister Habeck welcomes energy ministers of the Western Balkans in the context of the Berlin Process

Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Robert Habeck will be welcoming the energy ministers of the countries of the Western Balkans to a conference in the context of the Berlin Process today. The focus will be on the energy transition in the Western Balkans countries and the improvement of the conditions for investment in the expansion of renewable energy.

The current energy crisis is a massive burden on the economies of the Western Balkans due to their high dependency on fossil fuels. At the same time, there is a lot of potential for the expansion of renewable energy.

Federal Minister Habeck said: "The decarbonisation of energy production and the path towards climate neutrality are great challenges, but they also offer great opportunities. The current energy crisis shows us more than ever that we need to free ourselves from the constraints of Russian imports as quickly as possible. The expansion of renewable energy will reduce dependencies and increase security of energy supply, especially when we also strengthen the regional cooperation with the countries of the Western Balkans in the energy sector. We, as the Federal Government together with all the partners of the Berlin Process, are willing to support the countries of the Western Balkans along this path."

The Berlin Process was initiated by the German Federal Government in 2014. It is a common format of the six countries of the Western Balkans, the European Commission, several EU member states and the UK. It serves to support the Western Balkans countries along their path into the European Union.
Complementing today’s ministerial meeting, German business will be hosting a business forum with the countries of the Western Balkans in Berlin on 25 October. The outcomes of the meeting of energy ministers will be taken up at the summit of the heads of state and government on 3 November.