EU Parliament opens Western Balkan office for enlargement oversight boost

The Parliament plans to open a new office in the Western Balkans in a bid to enhance its oversight of the enlargement process, according to a document seen by Euractiv.

The decision was taken on Monday (22 April) ahead of the 20th-anniversary of the EU’s biggest wave of enlargement. Celebrations will take place on Wednesday (24 April) at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, with representatives of the ten countries that joined the bloc in 2004.

The internal body, or bureau of the European Parliament, sees the decision as a way to better support EU candidate (or potential candidate) countries in their integration efforts. 

The new branch will give the European Parliament more oversight of the accession processes, working with existing EU delegations that operate under the oversight of the EU’s diplomatic service (EEAS).

Additionally, the new office will strengthen relations with the parliaments of Western Balkan countries and increase the visibility of European Parliament officials in activities related to enlargement.

This move is the next step in the Parliament’s strategy, which last November decided to open a new office in Ukraine, following a request from the Kyiv government. 

The Parliament has liaison offices in each EU country to reach out, communicate with stakeholders, organise events, and interact with local media.

Only a few offices are established in non-European cities, including New York, Addis Ababa, and Jakarta, where Parliament staff is seconded to the EU Delegation.

This is connected to the fact that the European Parliament has limited competencies in EU foreign affairs, for which member states retain sovereignty.

[Edited by Aurélie Pugnet/Alexandra Brzozowski/Rajnish Singh]

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