Sarajevo to Host Regional Meeting within the Berlin Process: Anti-Corruption for Good Governance in the Western Balkans

📍 Sarajevo, 6 October 2025 – Swissotel Sarajevo

The Government of the United Kingdom, the Regional Anti-Corruption Initiative (RAI), the Ministry of Justice of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, together with partners HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation (HELVETAS) and the EU Support to Police in BiH Project (EUPA4BiH), and with the support of the AIRE Centre – Western Balkans Program and the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), are co-organizing a high-level regional event:
“Anti-Corruption as a Driver of Good Governance in the Western Balkans”

This milestone event is part of the Berlin Process, one of the most important platforms for strengthening regional cooperation, advancing European integration, and fostering reconciliation in the Western Balkans. The focus will be on strengthening integrity, the rule of law, and anti-corruption efforts as key preconditions for stability, security, and economic growth.

The forum will bring together Ministers of Justice from across the Western Balkans, EU representatives, international partners, experts, academia, and civil society organizations. Through high-level panels and expert discussions, participants will address two central themes, strengthening integrity systems through regional cooperation: from political commitments to effective implementation and, anti-corruption as a cornerstone of regional stability and economic growth.

A key highlight will be the recent entry into force of the International Treaty on Data Exchange for Asset Declaration Verification, a historic step in the fight against corruption in the region.

The event is expected to result in a set of recommendations committing Berlin Process participants to reinforce political and legal frameworks for preventing and combating corruption and organized crime, as fundamental pillars of regional integration and sustainable growth. The recommendations will also call for the effective implementation of the International Treaty on Data Exchange for Asset Declaration Verification, initiated by RAI.

The opening remarks will be delivered by Dražen Jelenić, Chairperson of RAI, Davor Bunoza, Minister of Justice of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Julian Reilly, British Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georg Diwald, Austrian Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Matthias Herr, the Regional Director for Eastern Europe at HELVETAS, and Adebayo Babajide, the Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina. The keynote address will follow, delivered by Elmedin Konaković, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The concluding recommendations will be presented at the closing session of the event and forwarded for consideration at the Berlin Process Summit of Leaders in London.

This gathering marks an important milestone in regional efforts to build trust, strengthen the rule of law, and create transparent and fair governance systems, all of which are vital for a stable and prosperous Western Balkans on its European path.

Stay tuned…🤝