Historiek

Delegation to the EU-Serbia Stabilisation and Association Parliamentary Committee

In 1981, two years after the first direct elections to the European Parliament were held, the legislature inaugurated a "Delegation for relations with the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia".

This delegation had a series of successors, each refocused and renamed in response to political changes in the region: the original delegation became the "Delegation for relations with the republics of former Yugoslavia", before being re-baptised the "Delegation for South-East Europe" (DSEE) in 1994.

Separate relations, new structure (2006-2014)

In 2006, MEPs began to hold separate inter-parliamentary meetings with Serbia. Between November 2006 and March 2013, seven of these meetings were convened.

In this period, these relations were "informal" - which is to say that there was no set, inter-parliamentary structure, such as a joint parliamentary committee, to bring together legislators at regular intervals.

Once the EU and Serbia signed a "Stabilisation and Association Agreement", in 2008, this would change. The agreement, which entered into force in 2013, specified:

"A Stabilisation and Association Parliamentary Committee is hereby established. It shall be a forum for Members of the Parliament of Serbia and of the European Parliament to meet and exchange views. It shall meet at intervals that it shall itself determine."

A dedicated delegation (2014-present)

After the European Parliament elections of 2014, the Parliament formed a separate Delegation to the EU-Serbia Stabilisation and Association Parliamentary Committee (D-RS).

This decision meant that Serbia and Kosovo were no longer jointly treated by one delegation, as had been the case before, under the DSEE delegation. The European Parliament had initiated informal inter-parliamentary relations with Kosovo in 2002, and launched official relations with the Parliamentary Assembly of Kosovo in May 2008, following Kosovo's declaration of independence. But while today Kosovo still falls under the remit of the DSEE delegation, Serbia no longer does. Since its launch, the D-RS Delegation has met its Serbian counterpart twice every year (with the exception of election years).

Each of these sessions has led to a formal "declaration and recommendations", treating themes including:

  • Serbia's EU accession negotiations and bilateral relations,
  • Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue,
  • the rule of law, including human rights,
  • economic developments,
  • security and defence policies.

Chairs of the D-RS and DSEE delegations overseeing relations with Serbia

  • 2022-present: Ms Alessandra MORETTI (The Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats)
  • 2019-2022: Ms Tanja FAJON (The Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats)
  • 2009-2019: Mr Eduard KUKAN (European People's Party), originally Chair of the Delegation for South‑East Europe and currently Chair of the Delegation to the EU-Serbia Stabilisation and Association Parliamentary Committee (D-RS)
  • 1994-2009: Ms Doris PACK (European People's Party), Chair of the Delegation for South-East Europe
  • 1989-1994: Mr Paraskevas Avgerinos
  • 1987-1989: Mr Julian Grimaldos Grimaldos
  • 1985-1986: Ms Lieselotte Seibel-Emmerling
  • 1981-1984: Mr Vincenzo Beitiza.