At a glance: President Metsola at the EU-Western Balkans summit: ‘It is time to grow’; Parliament sets up new committees on defence, health, democracy and housing; on 1 January, Poland will take over the EU Council presidency from Hungary.

News in Brief – 20/12/2024 - English

At a glance: the first Monetary Dialogue of the 10th parliamentary term with ECB President Christine Lagarde; the Reform Agendas of the Western Balkans countries seeking EU membership; and breast cancer awareness month.

News in Brief – 30/09/2024 - English

In November 2023, the European Commission presented its annual enlargement reports. Its strategic orientations and recommendations include accelerating the accession process with the Western Balkan countries, opening accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova, and granting candidate status to Georgia. According to the European Parliament's 2022 recommendation on the new EU strategy, enlargement policy is 'the most effective EU foreign policy instrument and one of the Union's most successful policies'.

EPRS Policy Podcast: Enlargement policy - Reforms and challenges ahead

Montenegro is one of the Western Balkan countries.

In 2008, Montenegro applied for EU membership, and accession negotiations began in 2012. Montenegro has opened all 33 negotiation chapters, three of which have been provisionally closed. Public opinion surveys show that 75 % of the population support the country’s accession to the European Union.

EU - Montenegro

The EU has developed a policy to support the gradual integration of the Western Balkan countries with the Union. The EU aims to promote peace, stability and economic development in the region&nbsp;and open up the prospect of EU integration.

In order to apply for EU membership a country has to be European and respect the EU’s democratic values. It also needs stable institutions guaranteeing democracy and the rule of law; a functioning market economy; and the ability to take on and carry out the obligations of EU membership.

Parliament is fully involved in the Stabilisation and Association Process &nbsp;and must also consent to any new accession to the EU. In addition, through its budgetary powers, it has direct influence over the amounts allocated to the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance. Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs appoints standing rapporteurs for all candidate and potential candidate countries. Parliament expresses its positions on enlargement in the form of annual resolutions responding to the Commission’s latest annual country reports.

On 1&nbsp;July&nbsp;2013, Croatia became the first of the seven countries to join, and Montenegro, Serbia, the Republic of North Macedonia and Albania are official candidates. Accession negotiations and chapters have been opened with Montenegro and Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo are potential candidate countries.

EU Enlargement - Western Balkans

Candidate countries include Montenegro, Albania, Serbia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina are considered potential candidates.

In order to apply for EU membership a country has to be European and respect the EU’s democratic values. It also needs stable institutions guaranteeing democracy and the rule of law; a functioning market economy; and the ability to take on and carry out the obligations of EU membership.

EU Enlargement - Western Balkans (2019-2020)

The European Political Community (EPC) is a new platform for political coordination. Initially proposed by French President Emmanuel Macron and supported by EU institutions, the inaugural meeting of the EPC was held in Prague on 6 October. The 'EU+ summit' was hosted by the Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU and&nbsp;43 national delegations from the EU-27, Western Balkans and other countries, including the United Kingdom, Ukraine and Turkey attended.

A second meeting of the EPC was scheduled for&nbsp;Thursday June 1st 2023 in&nbsp;Bulboaca, Moldova, where the 47 participants discussed how to foster political dialogue and cooperation and strengthen security, stability and prosperity in Europe.&nbsp; The third took place&nbsp;in Granada on 5 October 2023.

European Political Community

MEPS debate on the EU-Western Balkans summit of 18 December 2024

Debate on EU-Western Balkans summit

EP President, Roberta METSOLA, participates to the EU-Western Balkans Summit. Before her address to the Council, she speaks to the press. One year after the 2022 summit in Tirana, EU and Western Balkans leaders met in Brussels for their fourth annual summit. The summit is an opportunity to reaffirm the EU membership perspective of the Western Balkans and also the need for partners’ sustained and irreversible reform achievements, underpinned by EU values and principles.

EU-Western Balkans Summit

EU-Western Balkan Summit

Resumption of the sitting

Negotiations ahead of Parliament's first reading (Rule 72) (action taken)

Signature of acts adopted in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure (Rule 81)

Preparation of the European Council of 19-20 December 2024

Preparation of the EU-Western Balkans Summit

Composition of political groups

Voting time

Approval of the minutes of the previous sitting

Topical debate (Rule 169) - Restoring the EU’s competitive edge - the need for an impact assessment on the Green Deal policies

Promoting social dialogue and collective bargaining and the right to strike in the EU

Tackling abusive subcontracting and labour market intermediaries

Challenges facing EU farmers and agricultural workers: improving working conditions, including their mental well-being

Composition of committees and delegations

Need to ensure swift action and transparency on corruption allegations in the public sector to protect democratic integrity

Debates on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law (Rule 150)

Urgent need for EU action to preserve nature and protect biodiversity to avoid the extinction of species

Explications de vote

Agenda of the next sitting

Approval of the minutes of the sitting

Plenary session

Opening of the sitting

Conclusions of the recent European Council meetings, in particular on a new European Competitiveness deal and the EU strategic agenda 2024-2029 (debate)

Effective coordination of economic policies and multilateral budgetary surveillance - Speeding up and clarifying the implementation of the excessive deficit procedure – amending Regulation - Requirements for budgetary frameworks of the Member States – amending Directive

Combating violence against women and domestic violence (debate)

European Disability Card and European Parking Card for persons with disabilities - European Disability Card and European Parking Card for persons with disabilities for third country nationals legally residing in a Member State (joint debate - Disability cards)

EU’s response to the repeated killing of humanitarian aid workers, journalists and civilians by the Israel Defence Forces in the Gaza Strip (debate)

The use of Russian frozen assets to support Ukraine’s victory and reconstruction (debate)

Delegated acts (Rule 111(6)) (action taken)

Corrigenda (Rule 241)(action taken)

Attempts to reintroduce a foreign agent law in Georgia and its restrictions on civil society (debate)

Situation in Haiti (debate)

Withdrawal of the Union from the Energy Charter Treaty (debate)

EU-Egypt strategic and comprehensive partnership and agreements with key third countries (debate)

Production and marketing of plant reproductive material - Production and marketing of forest reproductive material (joint debate - Plant and forest reproductive material)

Establishing the Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans (debate)

Explanations of vote

Amendment of the agenda

CO2 emission standards for cars and vans (debate)

Address by Egils Levits, President of the Republic of Latvia

Tribute

Request for waiver of immunity

Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence: EU accession (debate)

Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence: EU accession (continuation of debate)

The EU priorities for the 67th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (debate) (debate)

Question Time (Commission) - Strengthened EU enlargement policy to the Western Balkans

Establishment of an independent EU Ethics Body (debate)

Response to the situation in Tunisia (debate)

Tensions between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (debate)

Amendments to the European Long-Term Investment Funds (ELTIFs) Regulation (debate)

Negotiations ahead of Parliament's first reading (Rule 71) (action taken): see Minutes

Address by Zuzana Čaputová, President of the Slovak Republic

Whitewashing of the anti-European extreme right in the EU (topical debate)

Presentation of the Court of Auditors' annual report 2021 (debate)

EU-Western Balkans relations in light of the new enlargement package (debate)

Sakharov Prize 2022 (announcement of the winner)

EU-Western Balkans relations in light of the new enlargement package (continuation of debate)

Fighting sexualised violence - The importance of the Istanbul Convention and a comprehensive proposal for a directive against gender-based violence (debate)

Political situation in Tunisia (debate)

Lukashenka regime's active role in the war against Ukraine (debate)

Outcome of the first meeting of the European Political Community (debate)

Global food security as follow-up to the G20 Agriculture Ministers meeting (debate)

Closure of the sitting

Statement by the President

Negotiations ahead of Parliament’s first reading (Rule 71)

Signing of acts adopted in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure (Rule 79): see Minutes

Order of business

Votes on requests for urgent procedure (Rule 163)

This is Europe - Debate with the Prime Minister of Croatia, Andrej Plenković (debate)

Preparation of the European Council meeting of 23-24 June 2022, including the meeting with Western Balkan leaders on 23 June - Candidate status of Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia (debate)

Implementation and delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals (debate)

Implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Facility (debate)

Inclusion measures within Erasmus+ 2014-2020 (debate)

2021 Report on Montenegro (debate)

Future of EU-Africa trade relations (debate)

Future of EU international investment policy (short presentation)

Draft amending budget No 3/2022: financing reception costs of people fleeing Ukraine (short presentation)

One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

Agenda of the next sitting 

Announcement of voting results: see Minutes

Digital Markets Act (debate)

European Year of Youth 2022 (debate)

Address by Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President of Ghana


Voting session

Composition of Parliament 

The situation in Nicaragua (debate)

Situation at the Ukrainian border and in Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine (debate)

New orientations for the EU’s humanitarian action

Cooperation on the fight against organised crime in the Western Balkans (debate)

Cooperation on the fight against organised crime in the Western Balkans (continuation of debate)

Implementation of the Kimberley Process Certification scheme (debate)

Outcome of Global Summit Nutrition for Growth (Japan, 7-8 December) and increased food insecurity in developing countries (debate)

European framework for employees' participation rights and the revision of the European Works Council Directive (debate)

Closure of the sitting 

EP Plenary session - Parliament’s statements - Preparation of the EU-Western Balkans Summit

EP Plenary session - Establishing the Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans

Trilogue on Western Balkans Facility

SEDE - Exchange of views with Mircea GEOANA, Deputy Secretary General of NATO, on security in the Black Sea, on the Eastern Flank and in the Western Balkans

Western Balkans Leaders Meeting - Arrival of Roberta METSOLA, EP President

AFET - Presentation of the 2023 Enlargement Package and the new Growth Plan for the Western Balkans bythe Commissioner Olivér Várhely.

EP Plenary session - 2022 Report on Kosovo

EP Plenary session - 2022 Report on Serbia

Doorstep by Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament at the EU - Western Balkans summit. This transcription is a result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

Doorstep by Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament at the EU - Western Balkans summit

MEPs debate on the preparation of the EU-Western Balkans Summit. The leaders of the two regions meet in Brussels to pursue the new momentum for the strategic partnership between the European Union and the Western Balkans, including a reflection on how to deepen that partnership and move forward together towards a joint future in the European Union.

Preparation of the EU-Western Balkans Summit: MEPs Debate

Preparation of the EU-Western Balkans Summit: one round of political group speakers

In times of polarised ideas, widespread disinformation and cross border conflicts, how are we protecting the integrity of European institutions and democracy? Researchers and NGOs all over Europe are studying ways to make societies more resilient to crises and to foreign actors trying to interfere in our democratic processes.  

Two such researchers are Julia from the Clingendael Institute for International Relations in the Netherlands and Katarina from the Centre for Democracy & Resilience at the GLOBSEC Policy Institute in Slovakia. They specialise in the Western Balkan states and EU accession countries like Ukraine. 

The European Parliament backs legislation helping promote this kind of research and recognises the importance of independent bodies. Learn more about how Parliament is fighting the threats to EU democracy here: https://europa.eu/!rg6kY7.

Maintaining EU independence and democracy: meet Julia and Katarína 9:16

Maintaining EU independence and democracy: meet Julia and Katarína

EU and Western Balkans leaders will meet in Brussels one year after the 2022 summit in Tirana. The summit is an opportunity to reaffirm the EU membership perspective of the Western Balkans as well as the need for partners’ sustained and irreversible reform achievements, underpinned by EU values and principles. The news include footage of Roberta METSOLA, EP President, at the EU-Western Balkans summit, including her arrival and doorstep.

Roberta METSOLA, EP President, at the EU-Western Balkans summit: arrival and doorstep

EU-Western Balkans Summit: Doorstep by Roberta METSOLA, EP President

MEPs debate the 2022 Report on Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) m by the Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET). The report welcomes the European Council's decision to grant candidate status to BiH in the context of a changed geopolitical reality, on the understanding that a number of steps are taken to strengthen the country’s readiness for accession negotiations; reiterates its clear support for BiH’s EU integration, grounded in unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. The report also recognises the importance of the Western Balkans in the EU’s enlargement policy, and urges the EU to accelerate the accession process for BiH, based on its own merits. Opening statement by Paulo RANGEL (EPP, PT), Rapporteur, and by Olivér VÁRHELYI, EC for Neighbourhood and Enlargement. The transcript is the result of an automated process. Please check against delivery

2022 Report on Bosnia and Herzegovina: Opening statement by Paulo RANGEL (EPP, PT), Rapporteur, and by and by Olivér VÁRHELYI, European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement

MEPs debate the 2022 Report on Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) m by the Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET). The report welcomes the European Council's decision to grant candidate status to BiH in the context of a changed geopolitical reality, on the understanding that a number of steps are taken to strengthen the country’s readiness for accession negotiations; reiterates its clear support for BiH’s EU integration, grounded in unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. The report also recognises the importance of the Western Balkans in the EU’s enlargement policy, and urges the EU to accelerate the accession process for BiH, based on its own merits. MEPs debate

2022 Report on Bosnia and Herzegovina: MEPs debate

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