ExCo meeting in Leuven- Side Event

The ESU Facilitated meeting between the Chairpersons of the Foreign Affairs Committees of the Belgian and Romanian Parliaments

At the invitation of the President of the ESU, An Hermans, the meeting was convened between Ms. Els Van Hoof – Chairperson of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives, and Ms. Rozália Biró. The meeting took place as a side meeting of the ESU Executive Committee Meeting (EXCO). Ms. Rozália Biró, who is also the President of the Women’s Organisation of the European People’s Party, was invited to the ESU EXCO meeting as a special guest.

The parties discussed some key aspects of Europe’s foreign and security policy in light of current geopolitical shifts. The talks focused on Russia’s war in Ukraine and its repercussions on political, economic, and societal levels, as well as the disruptive impact of Russia’s propaganda in the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership countries. Special attention was paid to increased security risks in the Black Sea region.

Ms. Els Van Hoof noted that on 9 march, the Belgian federal parliament’s Chamber of Representatives adopted a resolution recognizing the 1932-33 famine in Ukrainian (known as the Holodomor, caused by the Stalin regime), as genocide. The text received nearly unanimous support. More than 20 countries around the world officially recognized the Holodomor as the genocide of the Ukrainian people.

Ms. Biró touched upon the importance of Romania’s membership in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Romania is not yet a full member of the OECD due to the country’s challenges related to practical adherence to the Fiscal Responsibility Law. These difficulties in the reform process are related to Romania’s slow start in its transition to a market economy as well as its difficult structural re-adjustment. Ms. Biró highlighted the OECD Council’s decision of 25 January 2022, which opened accession discussions with Romania and expressed her hope that Belgium would continue its support of Romania’s OECD membership process.

Ms. Biró also discussed the importance of Romania’s membership in the Schengen Area. Today, the Schengen Area encompasses most EU countries, except for Bulgaria, Cyprus, Ireland, and Romania. Additionally, also the non-EU States Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein have joined the Schengen Area. On 1 January 2023, Croatia became the newest member state to join the Schengen area. However, Romania, which joined the European Union in 2007, still experiences difficulties in acceding to the Schengen Area due to Austria’s resistance. Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer claims that many unregistered migrants or asylum seekers would come from those countries to Austria. The number of asylum requests in Austria tripled last year to 108,490 applications, making it the EU nation with the sharpest increase overall.

The Chairpersons also discussed the EU’s enlargement process and its transformative role for the Western Balkan and the Eastern Partnership countries. Taking into account the importance of societal resilience in the enlargement process, Ms. Biró and Ms. Van Hoof praised the ESU’s efforts in highlighting societal challenges in the ESU work and reflected that more institutional and policy innovation is needed from various actors to address prospects and challenges of the EU’s widening.

Finally, the parties agreed to strengthen the parliamentary dimension of cooperation and to increase the dynamics of bilateral visits. These contacts will be particularly important in a view of the upcoming election year. In 2024 in addition to the European Parliament elections, both countries will have a busy political period – Belgium will hold federal, regional, provincial, and communal elections, while Romania will organize local, parliamentary, and presidential elections. These elections come amid profound geopolitical changes, which will require active cooperation and coordination of the pro-EU constructive forces across Europe.