Brussels, 30 November 2022
The Foreign Affairs Committee in the European Parliament has adopted its annual report on the European common foreign and security policy. With this report, MEPs assessed the EU’s role in the international scene and analysed how the EU’s engagement is affected by geopolitical developments, such as the Russian war against Ukraine.
Željana Zovko Vice Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee praised MEP McAllister for the adoption of his report. She states that the report sends an important message to the EU institutions and to the European partner countries on how to move forward in these volatile times.
Zovko explicitly referred to the clear position of the Parliament regarding the need for progress in Bosnia and Herzegovina, namely the part where the report welcomes the Commission’s recommendation, and the European Council’s readiness, to grant candidate status to Bosnia and Herzegovina. It urges the country’s political actors to show commitment and make significant steps towards EU membership by advancing on the eight steps in the Commission recommendation and by significantly advancing the 14 key priorities and implementing the substantial set of reforms. The report also calls for the implementation of electoral reforms in accordance with the decisions of the domestic and international courts in order to ensure the principles of equality and non-discrimination for all citizens and constituent peoples as enshrined in the Constitution.
Furthermore, Zovko welcomes the inclusion of her contributions to the report such as her call for closer coordination of foreign and security policies with the United Kingdom and to welcome the country in PESCO. As EPP Vice President for relations with US Congress, she also urges for deeper cooperation in the framework of the EU-US transatlantic dialogue, including through transatlantic parliamentary diplomacy. In addition, Zovko also included text on the Union’s enhanced engagement with the countries of the Southern Caucasus and she praises the swift adoption of an EU monitoring capacity mission along Armenia’s international border with Azerbaijan.