Parliamentary Speakers from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia will gather on Tuesday to discuss European prospects for the Western Balkans. They will be joined by the president of Croatia’s Parliament, the country currently holding the rotating Presidency of the Council of the EU.
The speakers will meet European Parliament President David Sassoli, the chairs of EP political groups as well as the Foreign Affairs Committee’s Working Group on the Western Balkans.
President David Sassoli said: “I am looking forward to welcoming the speakers from the Western Balkans to the European Parliament. This house has always been firmly committed to the European perspective of the Western Balkans. It is well known that we were very disappointed by the failure of the European Council to start negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia last October. It is now time to move on together and keep pushing for progress. Parliaments are essential in this regard. I convened this Summit for us to develop a strategy for the role that Parliaments can play in driving the EU reform agenda and in delivering concrete measures to meet the European aspirations of the people of the Western Balkans. I am convinced that there is no better time and place to do so.”
Parliamentary cooperation, the future of Europe and the enlargement process, which has stalled following disagreement in Council on opening accession talks with Albania and North Macedonia, are on the summit’s agenda. In its resolution adopted last October, Parliament expressed disappointment that Albania and North Macedonia were not able to start accession talks, stressing that the enlargement process has played a decisive role in stabilising the Western Balkans.
The meeting with the members of the Committee on Foreign Affairs Working Group on the Western Balkans will be open to the public: you can watch it live.
The summit is organised under the patronage of President Sassoli, in cooperation with the Foreign Affairs Committee and the delegations for relations with the Western Balkans.
When: Tuesday, 28 January 18.00
Where: Brussels, SPAAK Building, room 3C50
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