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The European Parliament aims to push the countries of the Western Balkans closer to the EU

2024-10-05 13:12:24Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

The European Parliament aims to push the countries of the Western Balkans closer

The European Parliament is continuing the procedures for the establishment of commissions, delegations and other structures that are necessary for its work.

The new EP mandate started in the summer, after the last European elections that were held in June.

As part of the constitution process, parliamentary delegations have already been created for relations with countries outside the EU, with which there is a framework for cooperation.

During the month of September, the process of establishing the relevant delegations for relations with the countries of the Western Balkan region was completed.

These delegations will also be responsible for cooperation with the countries of this region - Kosovo, Albania, Serbia, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina - within the framework of the joint structures provided for by the Stabilization and Association Agreements (SAA).

The SAA foresees the parliamentary dimension of cooperation, that is why the joint delegations are also established.

They consist of the EP delegation for relations with the respective country on the one hand and the deputies from the national parliament of that country on the other.

The role of these delegations is to discuss the fulfillment of SAA obligations from both sides, as well as the country's advancement towards EU integration.

The European Parliament has always been a strong supporter of the advancement of the countries of the Western Balkans towards the EU. He expressed this in the joint statements of the inter-parliamentary delegations, but also in the reports and resolutions approved by him.

Although there have been some changes in the composition of the European Parliament in this term, as the number of deputies from far-right parties has increased, most of the current deputies are convinced that there will be no reduction in support for the enlargement process nor for the countries of the Western Balkan region.

There has been a great interest of MPs to become members of these delegations, as well as for leadership positions in them.

The last week of September and the beginning of October were marked by a series of meetings and gatherings to elect the heads of these delegations.

The head of the European Parliament delegation for relations with Kosovo, as well as the joint parliamentary delegation of stabilization and association, will be the deputy from Croatia, Davor Ivo Stier.

Stier was also the foreign minister of Croatia, and earlier also a member of the European Parliament.

With the Kosovo file, he was also involved in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, where he was the head of the Group of European People's Parties.

At the constitutive meeting of the delegation for Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina, Davor Ivo Stier said that he is happy to cooperate with the partners from the Assembly of Kosovo in the advancement of this country in the European integration process.

"In Kosovo, the Parliamentary Association Stabilization Commission has held regular meetings since 2016 when it was established. We have seen encouraging progress in democratic reforms, economic development and efforts to fight corruption. However, there remains an important job to be done, especially in the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia, which is key for the long-term stability of the region", he said.

There is a special delegation for each country in the region, while the one for Kosovo is also a delegation for relations with Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Deputy Marco Tarquinio, a social democrat from Italy, will be the head of the delegation for Albania and of the joint SAA delegation with Albania.

The head of the delegation for Serbia will be the conservative member of the European People's Party from Cyprus, Loucas Fourlas.

Thomas Waitz, Greens MP from Austria, has been elected head of the delegation for relations with Montenegro.

For North Macedonia, meanwhile, it will be the deputy of the European People's Party from Croatia, Karslo Resler.

Those elected to the positions of heads of delegations have warned that they will soon start contacts with their colleagues from the countries of the Western Balkan region and with the national parliaments of these countries, in order to work together on the reform agenda.

Deputies of the European Parliament expect their colleagues in the region to be maximally engaged in the performance of their duties, because the parliamentary dimension is extremely important for fulfilling the conditions for progress in the European integration process. This is due to the fact that many legal reforms are needed in this process and all of them must pass through the national parliaments.

It is now expected that the roles of rapporteurs for the countries of the Western Balkans region will also be shared in the Foreign Policy Commission.

They have even greater responsibilities, because they draft and negotiate the annual reports for the countries of the region, which are finally voted as resolutions of the European Parliament.

First, it is expected that the main political groups will divide among themselves which group will have the role of rapporteur for which country. Then, the groups will nominate their candidates.

In the last 15 years, the rapporteur for Kosovo has been from the ranks of the Greens. The last rapporteur was the German MP, Viola von Cramon - Taubadel.

The Greens, according to sources from the European Parliament, would prefer to have the rapporteur for Kosovo again, but since this political group has seen a decrease in the total number of deputies, it is not yet certain whether the other parties will agree to such a thing .

The election of the rapporteur for Kosovo and for other countries of the Western Balkan region is expected to be completed before the end of October./ REL


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