Biro Rozalia: The European Union must have a direct influence on aspiring states

The European Union must have a direct influence on aspiring states, in terms of democratic values and western standards, was the first message of Romania's delegation to the Inter-Parliamentary Conference for the Common Foreign and Security Policy and the Common Security and Defence Policy (CFSP/CSDP), of September 9, Chair of the Chamber's foreign policy committee, Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR) MP Biro Rozalia said on Wednesday.

Four parliamentarians represented Romania to this international conference, held online.

"The Romanian delegation had three speeches regarding the importance of the role of the European Union in its immediate vicinity, with reference to the process of EU enlargement. We stressed, first of all, that it is extremely necessary for the European Union to exert a direct influence on the aspiring states, in terms of democratic values and western standards, both for the Western Balkan states and for the Eastern partners associated with the EU," Biro said.

The Romanian delegation also mentioned that the European Union must credibly strengthen its global leadership position and prove that it is capable of projecting stability, democracy and prosperity in its neighborhood.

Last but not least, the deputy stated, the Romanian representatives affirmed that regional collaboration must be strengthened also within the European Union, in particular within the Three Seas Initiative, the Central European Initiative and the Bucharest 9 Format.

According to her, the first working session of the CFSP / CSDP Conference focused on the priorities of the common foreign and defense policy. During the event, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Joseph Borrell, referred to the crisis in Afghanistan, saying that the crisis "is far from over".

"The crisis is very complex because, on the one hand, it refers to EU's position to recognise or not the Taliban government, but also to continue to evacuate those requesting it from Afghanistan. On the other hand, it is about respect for human rights in Afghanistan, as well as strengthening EU's defense policy in the context of the situation. The High Representative called for the solidarity of EU member states in this regard," said Biro Rozalia.

EU decisions to strengthen defense policy must be made, said Joseph Borrell, according to the MP, in close collaboration with the US and regional organisations, in order to strengthen EU's capacity to act and develop EU's strategic autonomy.

The second area addressed at the CFSP / CSDP conference referred to European cooperation in the field of security and defense, specifying the important steps that have been taken in developing the conceptual framework, as well as in launching concrete collaborative initiatives in the field of skill development. AGERPRES