Greece's Simitis wants the EU to focus on the Balkans
Published:
21 June 2003 y., Saturday
The Balkans are set to move to centre stage on Saturday as leaders of the European Union continue their summit in the Greek resort of Porto Carras.
Five Balkan countries hope to join the union within the next several years: Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, and Serbia and Montenegro.
The EU will press them hard to make reforms on issues ranging from co-operating with war crimes tribunals, fighting organised crime and reforming finances and civil administration.
The shift to focusing outward on the EU's near neighbours comes after intense inward-looking debate about a new draft constitution for the expanding union. The 15 member states and 10 countries which will join next year said the draft document was a "good basis" for discussion.
A massive security operation has been mounted in Porto Carras to try to avoid the violent protests seen at other recent meetings.
Šaltinis:
BBC News
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.
The most popular articles
President of the Republic of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė congratulated her Italian counterpart, President Giorgio Napolitano, on the Italian national holiday, the Republic Day.
more »
The European Union supports and promotes the region through the Baltic Sea Strategy, specially designed to encourage regional cooperation.
more »
One of the most important topics for Lithuania - efforts to overcome energy isolation of Lithuania and other Baltic States and to strengthen energy security in the Baltic Sea region – is included into the agenda of the Baltic Development Forum (BDF) Summit, which started on 1 June in Vilnius.
more »
President of the Republic of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė will have a meeting with the President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, in Vilnius.
more »
On 28 May in Vilnius, Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Audronius Ažubalis met with ambassadors of NATO countries, who reside in Lithuania.
more »
New British Foreign Secretary William Hague sent a letter to Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs A. Ažubalis, highlighting the determination to continue and to broaden the close working relationship that the UK and Lithuania shares both bilaterally and within the framework of the EU and NATO.
more »
At the meeting of foreign ministers from the European Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on 25-26 May in Madrid, Lithuania’s Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Šarūnas Adomavičius invited Southeast Asian countries to contribute to the implementation of projects in the province of Ghor, Afghanistan, where Lithuania leads a Provincial Reconstruction Team.
more »
On 27 May in Vilnius, Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Audronius Ažubalis met with prominent figure of the world’s Lithuanian community, scientist and conservationist Dr. Birutė Galdikas.
more »
President Dalia Grybauskaitė extended congratulations to President Serzh Sargsyan of Armenia on national holiday - Republic Day.
more »
Next Tuesday, June 1 at 17.00 hours, President Dalia Grybauskaitė will meet with the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Angela Merkel, who will be in Vilnius on a working visit.
more »