News: Members of the European Parliament for the social-democratic S&D Group sign joint declaration in favour of European enlargement to the Western Balkans

On the occasion of the meeting between the leaders of the European Union and the Western Balkans, scheduled for June 23 in Brussels, Members of the European Parliament for the social-democratic S&D Group, Delara Burkhardt (Germany), Thijs Reuten (Holland) and Andreas Schieder (Austria), issued a joint statement in which they urged the European Council to support the enlargement of the EU to the Western Balkans with concrete and incisive actions.

In the document, the three Socialist MEPs presented an overview of the main issues that hinder the enlargement process. With regard to Bulgaria, for example, the group urges the country to withdraw its veto on the accession negotiations for North Macedonia and Albania before the decisive date of 23 June. With regard to Bosnia and Herzegovina, the group stated the need of assistance to overcome the political crisis and ensure the smooth running of the national elections scheduled for 2 October, and the adoption of targeted sanctions against national actors aiming to destabilise the country, including Milorad Dodik.

The English version of the full text is available at the bottom of the article.