Seimas to host a Conference on EU integration of Western Balkan countries
Press release, 9 November 2021
On Friday, 12 November 2021, the Seimas will host a conference dedicated to EU integration of Western Balkan countries. The Conference will bring together politicians, parliamentarians, diplomats, and experts from Lithuania, other EU Member States and Western Balkan countries, as well as members of the European Parliament and representatives of the European Commission. Keynote speeches at the Conference will be made by representatives of Croatia, Albania, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Bulgaria.
The Conference, entitled Western Balkan Countries on the Path to the European Union, was initiated by the Seimas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Laima Liucija Andrikienė, Member of the Committee and Head of the Seimas Group for Inter-Parliamentary Relations with the Western Balkan Countries.
‘Before the last parliamentary elections, Lithuania mostly focused on Eastern Partnership countries — Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Belarus, unfortunately failing to pay due attention to a large Western Balkan region, where some states are already members of NATO Alliance, while Croatia is also a Member State of the EU. The countries of the region are seeking membership of the European Union: Serbia and Montenegro are in the process of accession negotiations with the EU, while North Macedonia and Albania have been waiting for several years to begin negotiations with the EU. The Conference in Vilnius is dedicated to discussing the situation in the Western Balkans in order to accelerate the integration of the region into the European Union’, noted Laima Andrikienė, Member of the Seimas, representative of Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrat Political Group.
Ms Andrkienė also emphasized that ‘Lithuania is ready to share the valuable experience of negotiations and European integration with its Balkan counterparts aspiring to EU membership. Our aim is to strengthen the current area of security, stability, democracy, and the rule of law in the south of the EU, which will bring tangible benefits not only to the population of the region but also to the citizens of the European Union.’
Aldona Drėgvaitė, Adviser to Dr Laima Liucija Andrikienė, Member of the Seimas, tel. +370 5 239 6723, mob. 8 612 15698, e-mail: [email protected]
Monika Kutkaitytė