Politicians from the Western Balkans have sent a letter to David Sassoli, the President of the European Parliament and Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission. The letter includes proposals for additional measures to fight the Coronavirus pandemic in the region.
The letter reads:
“Aware of the complexity of the COVID-19 pandemic situation, the number of infected people and the inadequate medical equipment of our countries, today, more than ever, we need solidarity, a coordinated approach and joint action. Therefore, we ask that the Western Balkan countries:
Be excluded from the decision to restrict the export of medical equipment from the European Union and be included in the EU export authorization scheme;
Have access to joint EU procurement of medical equipment to combat the pandemic;
Are allowed to be part of the IPA II Program funds and all other funds available from EU sources to be used to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
Apart from the proposed measures, on behalf of the parliaments of our countries, we welcome any assistance that the European Union is willing to make available to the Western Balkan countries.”
The letter was signed by Gramoz Ruçi, Speaker of the Albanian Parliament; Denis Zvizdic; Speaker of the House of Representatives of Bosnia and Herzegovina; Dragan Covic, Speaker of the House of Peoples of Bosnia and Herzegovina; Vjosa Osmani, President of the Assembly of Kosovo; Ivan Brajovic, Speaker of the Parliament of Montenegro; Talat Xhaferi, Speaker of the Parliament of Northern Macedonia; and Maja Gojkovic, Speaker of the Serbian Parliament.
