3 minutes agoEuropean Parliament Urges Serbia to Be Penitenticated for Failure to Set Sanctions on Russia
Periskopi(4 years ago)
(4 years ago)The European Parliament's Foreign Policy Commission approved the report on the new enlargement strategy. Through this report, the process of Serbia's membership negotiations in the European bloc is required, but the provision of EU funds is conditional on Belgrade's support for sanctions against Moscow. “Must become the priority setting of countries [...]
“Must become a priority match for countries from the enlargement process with common EU foreign and security policy. And advance membership negotiations with Serbia only if this country joins EU sanctions on Russia and makes significant progress in reforms needed for EU integration”, the EP report says.
The report on the new enlargement strategy requires that the enlargement process be reformed in order to reward those countries that advance in meeting the criteria, but also sanction those states marking going back into the process.
The report was prepared by the Croatian Eurodeput, Tonino Picula, and it was approved by 49 votes for, five against and eight abstentions.
The EP, through its report on the enlargement strategy, has also proposed that the manner of adoption of decisions be changed, giving up unanimity to switch to a majority qualified vote in the Council.
Making decisions through unanimous voting has often enabled certain member states to block the opening or closing of negotiating chapters in the past.
This report sometimes mentions that the credibility of the enlargement process, but also of the EU as a whole, has been damaged because some member states, due to national interests, have blocked this process. This, according to the report, created space for the influence of Russia, China and other harmful factors in the region”.
In the report, The EP has also talked about dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, mediated by the EU. It urged a greater commitment of the parties to reaching a comprehensive, legally binding agreement between Kosovo and Serbia through mutual recognition.
The EP also highlights that there should be no alternative to the enlargement process. The report even proposes that membership negotiations with countries involved in the enlargement process be completed by the end of this decade.
The EU, according to the report, must work to make its assistance more visible in order to increase its influence in the region and wider. / REL/
