The members of the PA BIH Joint Committee for European Integration participate in the 19th COSAP meeting in Podgorica

The Chairman of the Joint Committee for European Integration of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina (PA BiH), Zdenko Ćosić, the Deputy Chairman of the Joint Committee, Dženan Đonlagić, and the member of the Joint Committee, Branislav Borenović, are participating in the 19th meeting of the Conference of Parliamentary Committees for European Integration/Affairs of the South-East European States covered by the Stabilization and Association Process (COSAP), which is being held today and tomorrow in Podgorica.

At this meeting, organized by the Committee on European Integration of the Parliament of Montenegro, with the support of the German Organization for International Cooperation (GIZ) and the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), opinions and views were exchanged on the new perspective of the European Union (EU) and the impact of geopolitical circumstances on enlargement policy, as well as on the issue of regional cooperation and economic integration of countries in the region.

The COSAP meeting in Podgorica, which, for the first time, included representatives from Eastern Partnership countries, was opened with introductory speeches by the Vice President of the Parliament of Montenegro, Boris Pejović, the Chairman of the Committee on European Integration of the Parliament of Montenegro, Ivan Vuković, the Head of the EU Delegation to Montenegro, Ambassador Oana Cristina Popa, the Minister of European Affairs in the Government of Montenegro, Maida Gorčević, and the Political Director at the RCC, Amer Kapetanović.

The participants of the 19th COSAP meeting also adopted a joint statement in which they welcomed the EU's support for intensifying the integration process of the Western Balkans and the renewed focus on enlargement policy under the Belgian presidency of the EU Council. In this context, they also welcomed the priorities of the Belgian presidency of the EU Council, which actively support cooperation and strengthening EU ties with membership aspirants.

They also welcomed the joint declarations adopted at the EU - Western Balkans Summits held in Tirana on December 6, 2022, and Brussels on December 13, 2023. The participants of the 19th COSAP meeting assessed these declarations as confirmation of the European perspective of the Western Balkans and the commitment to the region's integration into the EU, with the aim of achieving the vision of a strong, stable, and united Europe."

The participants of the COSAP meeting also particularly welcomed the European Commission's Economic Growth Plan for the Western Balkans and the six billion euros of support aimed at accelerating the Western Balkans' closer integration with the single European market, economic integration of the region, expediting fundamental reforms, and providing additional financial assistance. In this regard, they emphasized the significance of the Berlin Process, especially its parliamentary dimension, and highlighted the need to consider formalizing the parliamentary dimension of the mentioned initiative. They assessed that a more direct involvement of parliaments in the Berlin Process would further enhance their oversight role and contribute to strengthening mutual cooperation and political stability in the Western Balkans region.

They also emphasized the need for more intensive cooperation among the committees of European integration/affairs of parliaments in the region, with the aim of coordinated promotion of EU values, exchange of information, and providing mutual assistance in overcoming common challenges on the path to EU membership. (end)