07 September 2019 - Enlargement policy should be expression of common and honest commitment of the European Union and the Western Balkans, said the President of the Committee on International relations and Emigrants, Andrija Nikolić, at the Inter-parliamentary Conference for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP), which was held in Helsinki as part of Finland’s EU presidency.
In a panel dedicated to current political developments in the Western Balkans region and the EU integration process, Nikolić said that Brussels should demonstrate a more decisive approach in pursuing enlargement policy, with a clearer policy towards the Western Balkans. He also stressed that he believes that EU session in October will be a signal for opening negotiation s with North Macedonia and Albania, as well as for opening last negotiating chapter with Montenegro. “That would restore optimism of candidate countries”, reads the statement of the Parliament of Montenegro.
In addition to MP Nikolic, the delegation of the Parliament of Montenegro was composed of members of the Security and Defence Committee, Luiđ Škrelja and Boris Mugoša, and a member of the Committee on International Relations and Emigrants, Ervin Ibrahimović.
The Inter-parliamentary Conference was opened by the Speakers of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence of the Parliament of Finland, Mika Niikko and Ilkka Kanerva, and the introductory part was addressed by: Finnish President Sauli Niinistö, President of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament David McAllister and The High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini.
The conference was dedicated to various topics: “Stronger Europe for European future”, “Renewal of Trans-Atlantic unity in global relations”, “Exchange of views on EU priorities in CFSP-CSDP” and “Where is the EU defence going: Strength for peace or Military strength?”
