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Zagreb/Lisbon - The delegation of the Croatian Parliament, consisting of the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee Gari Cappelli, Chair of the Defence Committee Franko Vidović, Chair of the Domestic Policy and National Security Committee Nikša Vukas as well as the Head of the Delegation of the Croatian Parliament to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly Ante Bačić, participated in the Inter-Parliamentary Videoconference for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) of the European Union, hosted by the Portuguese Assembly of the Republic.
The Inter-Parliamentary Conference was opened and addressed by the President of the Assembly of the Portuguese Republic Eduardo Ferro Rodrigues, the Chair of the Committee on National Defence of the Portuguese Parliament Marcos Perestrello and the Chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs David McAllister.
At the beginning of the conference, the participants were addressed by the Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Jens Stoltenberg, who spoke about cooperation between NATO and the EU and pointed out that NATO and the EU could work even closer on issues such as cybersecurity, resilience and climate change. He also referred to a new era in the future of the transatlantic partnership.
The Conference for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) of the European Union covered topics dedicated to defence cooperation between the European Union and NATO, as well as the European Union's strategy towards Africa. The participants had the opportunity to discuss the European perception and positioning of the European Union in relation to current issues of the common foreign and security policy with the High Representative of the Union for Foreign and Security Policy, Josep Borrell i Fontelles.
During the discussion, at the first session dealing with the issues of European Union and the North Atlantic Alliance cooperation and the needs of strategic consideration, Ante Bačić in his address to Stoltenberg commented on the importance of further cooperation between the EU and NATO in the context of further strategic documents which would define future developments in the field of security and defence. - Global competition and growing uncertainties clearly emphasize NATO's role and that is why the Union needs to strengthen its global role and work on defence initiatives to directly contribute to strengthening Euro-Atlantic security as a whole. This has a special value for Croatia, as a member of both organizations, especially considering our immediate neighbourhood - Southeast Europe, said Bačić.
During the second day of the Conference, a discussion was held with the High Representative of the Union for Foreign and Security Policy, Josep Borrell i Fontelles, as well as a second session dedicated to the European Union's comprehensive Strategy for Africa. Gari Cappelli, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, emphasized the importance of further efforts and investments in the development of the European Union's relations with the Western Balkans, as well as the importance of continuing to support those countries on their European path since there has been no significant shift within the enlargement policy in the second part of the year 2020. He briefly commented on current events in the Western Balkans, and in that sense asked Borrell questions related to the recent elections in Kosovo, future relations with Serbia, as well as the situation in Southeast Europe, whose stability and progress represent European Union's greatest interest.