On Tuesday, the Foreign Affairs Committee held an exchange of views on the foreign policy priorities of the Belgian presidency of the EU Council with Hadja Lahbib, Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs, Foreign Trade and Federal Cultural Institutions of Belgium.
During the exchange of views with Minister Lahbib, the Vice-President of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Željana Zovko, pointed out that the security and future of the EU starts with the re-establishment of lasting peace in the Western Balkans, and requested that the focus of the Belgian presidency be placed on Bosnia and Herzegovina, which, like Belgium, has three nations and the Constitution, which should be adapted to the needs of the three constituent nations, as was the case in Belgium, announced the Public Relations Office of the European People’s Party.
As it is added, Zovko concluded that during the presidency, Belgium has a historic role and that it cannot play an important role in the world if it does not assume its role on European soil.
Minister Lahbib then replied that Belgium is ready to play an important role as the country holding the last presidency before the European elections and that they are ready to speed up the work within the Council related to the New Growth Plan for the Western Balkans.
She also emphasized that as far as Bosnia and Herzegovina is concerned, the Council’s conclusions pave the way for the opening of negotiations provided that all previous conditions are met, and that the Belgian presidency of the EU Council will defend the enlargement process with full energy, especially bearing in mind the geopolitical situation in which the European Union finds itself and the need to maintain the dynamics of the merit-based enlargement process, the press release states.
