Slow but Steady Progress in the Foreign Affairs Committee
The Foreign Affairs Committee (AFET) convened in order to discuss article 9, pertaining to cross-border operations regarding the six Western Balkan states that seek accession into the EU.
Members of EFDD, ALDE, the Greens and EPP attempted to reach a consensus about the best course of action. A motion to add more clauses to article 9 was proposed, and the floor was open for formal debate. However, the representatives unanimously requested time for an informal debate first. Chair Yordanka Savova allowed for 10 minutes of informal debate, after which the representatives insisted on an extension multiple times. As a result, the meeting continued in the format of informal debate.
In the end, the aforementioned parties agreed on a few major points. Firstly, they affirmed the need to expand bilateral relations between the member states of the EU and the Western Balkan countries. The MEPs emphasized the role of a Neighborly Relations Committee that would aim to standardize the
varying perspectives of the potential member states in accordance with those of the EU.
In addition, the members of the AFET proposed the drafting of a common asylum policy between the candidate countries and the EU. The politicians also sought to create detailed indexes for measuring levels of the freedom of media, corruption, and judicial reforms, so that the progress of the Western
Balkan states could be tracked more easily. Lastly, the committee concluded that funding information campaigns on topics such as global warming and social issues would be beneficial to the Western Balkans’ future accession into the Union. Before any concrete action can be taken, though, the members
of the AFET would have to discuss these propositions with their respective parties.
