At the invitation of European Parliament President David Sassoli, the speakers of the parliaments of the Western Balkans came together today in Brussels. It was the first Summit of this kind. They were joined by the Speaker of the Parliament of Croatia, which is holding the rotating Council Presidency. 

Following the Summit, President Sassoli stated:

“Today’s summit reaffirmed our strong conviction that the Western Balkans and the European Union share a common destiny. We firmly believe that enlargement will benefit the people of the region and EU member states and that it can bring about much-needed reconciliation in the neighbourhood. Now, we need to make sure that this political will translates into action.

“In our joint declaration, we call on the European Council to continue supporting the European perspective of the Western Balkans based on the fulfilment of the accession criteria and give an unambiguous and positive political message on opening of accession negotiations and granting of candidate status. We urgently need to give new impetus to the enlargement process by delivering concrete results. The Zagreb Summit should play a key role in this respect.

“In our conclusions, we reiterate our parliaments’ full commitment to participating in the reflections on a ‘renewed approach’ to enlargement in order for the process to become more democratic, more transparent and closer to the citizens and civil society. Enlargement is a process that takes a lot of effort and commitment on all sides, and parliaments are key in driving forward the EU reform agenda. The European Parliament stands ready to continue the constructive dialogue and support the Western Balkans parliaments as they move towards a European future.”

The joint declaration is available here.