Brussels, 4 September 2020,
Member of the European Parliament Željana Zovko participated in the Inter-Parliamentary Conference on the Common Foreign and Security Policy and the Common Security and Defence Policy (CFSP/CSDP). These conferences, that take place twice a year, provide a framework for the exchange of information on the EU’s external affairs and its geopolitical position in the world and strengthen the role of national parliaments and the European Parliament within the EU.
During the Conference, Zovko asked High Representative for the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell about the recent developments of the EU-Turkey relations and the EU’s support to the MENA region (Middle East and North Africa). Zovko also asked Borrell about his vision on the future of Lebanon and how possible political reforms might affect the co-existence of the different religions and beliefs in the country.
A second session of the conference was devoted to the discussion on a path to a European Defence Union. The delegations discussed what progress has been made in the EU in terms of the strategic reorientation of European defence and the compatibility of these actions in relation to NATO.
This time, the Inter-Parliamentary Conference was hosted by the German presidency of the Council of the European Union and the German Bundestag. Due to the travel restrictions, the meetings were held via videoconference.