Regional cooperation in Western Balkans
The concept of “new regionalism” arrived quite late in the Western Balkans due to the unfortunate events of the 1990s. Initially perceived as a peace and security strategy following the violent conflicts, this was quickly compensated with a wave of regional initiatives up until the present. This was achieved with the Stability Pact and through the format of the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP), including a group of countries beyond the Western Balkans. However, fully-fledged regional cooperation in the Western Balkans only become a possibility following the agreement on Kosovo’s regional representation in 2012 and the First Agreement on Principles Governing the Normalization of Relations in 2013, between Kosovo and Serbia. This enabled the launch of the Berlin Process in 2014 which further shaped regional cooperation through the format of the “Western Balkans Six”.