MEPs write to Croatian Presidency about EU accession blockage for North Macedonia and Albania
TO: Andrej Plenković, Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia; Gordan Grlić Radman, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Croatia; Josep Borrell Fontelles, Vice-President of the European Commission and High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy;Olivér Várhelyi, European Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations
Concerns: Impact on LGBTI rights of EU’s blockage of accession talks with North Macedonia and Albania
Brussels, 19 December 2019
Honourable Ministers,
Honourable Commissioners,
16 years ago in Thessaloniki, the EU clearly stated that “the future of the Balkans is in the European Union”. The accession process and the prospects it offered for the Western Balkans were to serve as the anchor for reforms through a shared agenda, and commitment to its implementation from all sides, all the way to their future accession, in the same way as in Central and Eastern Europe.
These reforms have brought significant and unprecedented changes when it comes to human rights, including the rights of LGBTI people, across the region. North Macedonia now explicitly includes sexual orientation and gender identity in its anti-discrimination and hate crime legislation. This year Albania hosted the ERA LGBTI Conference which gathered over 200 human rights defenders in Tirana this November, followed by the very first lesbian* march. Since starting the accession process Albania has adopted a number of laws protecting LGBTI people from discrimination in employment and education, and hate crime-laws inclusive of sexual orientation and gender identity.
These inspiring developments are still young and threatened by the decision of the European Council to not open accession talks with North Macedonia and Albania, as the process has been fundamental in improving the legal rights and social acceptance of LGBTI people. With no clear support from the EU and by stopping the EU integration process, the LGBTI community and LGBTI organisations and groups in the Western Balkans are once again at risk of increased marginalisation and of being left behind.
We, Members of the European Parliament who stand firm in our commitment to the accession of the region and the protection of LGBTI rights internationally, call on the European Council and EU Member States to recognise the wide-spread consequences of this situation, to do everything in their power to ensure that the start of accession talks is unblocked and to reiterate the European perspective of all Western Balkan countries. If the EU truly believes in protecting the human rights of all people, including those who are LGBTI, across Europe and the world, it must include the unblocking of accession talks as its top priority for the region.
Sincerely,
Terry Reintke MEP, Co-Chair of the LGBTI Intergroup
Sophie in’t Veld MEP, Vice-President of the LGBTI Intergroup
Sirpa Pietikäinen MEP, Vice-President of the LGBTI Intergroup
Tanja Fajon MEP, Vice-President of the LGBTI Intergroup
Fabio Massimo Castaldo MEP, Vice-President of the LGBTI Intergroup
Maria Walsh MEP
Seb Dance MEP
Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield MEP
Dimitrios Papadimoulis MEP
Delara Burkhardt MEP
Brando Benifei MEP
Francisco Guerreiro MEP
Dietmar Köster MEP
Rosa D’Amato MEP
Sheila Ritchie MEP
Petras Austrevicius MEP
Petra de Sutter MEP
Evelyn Regner MEP
Radka Maxová MEP
Alex Agius Saliba MEP
Irena Joveva MEP
Andreas Schieder MEP
Milan Brglez MEP
Alexandra Louise Phillips MEP
Kim van Sparrentak MEP
Tineke Strik MEP
Monika Vana MEP
Hilde Vautmans MEP
Barbara Gibson MEP
Olivier Chastel MEP
Jackie Jones MEP
Rasmus Andresen MEP
Erik Marquardt MEP
Julie Ward MEP Karin Karlsbro MEP
