Member of the European Parliament Željana Zovko participated in the plenary session in Strasbourg in the public hearing on implementation of EU external financing instruments, mid-term review and the future post-2020 architecture.
Zovko said that the EU external financing instruments for the period after 2020 must take into account enhancement of European values and EU interests in the world. They should be more efficient, flexible and transparent. Furthermore, the actual status of the current instruments of the multi-year financial frame should be reviewed in order to detect deficiencies in their implementation and overlapping affecting the effect of the assistance on the countries- beneficiaries. Zovko further stressed that ownership of reform priorities in the countries- beneficiaries must be enhanced in order to encourage fast implementation of the required reforms.
According to Zovko, requirements for implementation of key economic reforms and democratic, political and institutional consolidation in partner countries must go hand-in-hand with the financial funds for the future post-2020 period.
“That is particularly important for the pre-accession assistance instrument, especially in the context of encouraging enlargement reports to include the Western Balkans and recently published EU Enlargement Strategy, which supports the candidate-countries and potential candidates in reforms implementation with the uttermost goal to achieve stability and security in the closes EU neighbourhood.“ – concluded Zovko her speech.