President of the European Parliament Mr David Sassoli addressed a letter to the President of the Parliament of Montenegro Mr Ivan Brajović and presidents and speakers of the parliaments in the region, with regard to their Appeal for assistance to the Western Balkans region in combating the coronavirus pandemic.

Pointing out that the Western Balkans “are part of our European family and their European vocation is beyond any doubt”, the President of the European Parliament agrees that any measures taken at the European level should also include the Western Balkans countries in their efforts to deal with the COVID pandemic.

“The EU institutions did well and presented a unitary front in proposing European solutions - solutions based on solidarity and that strive to not leave behind the most vulnerable countries. You can rest reassured that the EU is already exploring ways in which to include your region in its response mechanisms. In many ways, this Coronavirus outbreak is a test to our European solidarity. This is the time for solidarity and your region should be included.  If we stay united, we can emerge stronger from this crisis.” - it is said among other things in the letter by President of the European Parliament Mr David Sassoli.

We would like to remind that speakers and presidents of parliaments of Montenegro, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Serbia at the end of the previous week addressed an Appeal to the European Parliament President David Sassoli and the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, proposing a series of measures with regard to procurement of medical equipment, as well as diverting unspent funds from the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA II) to combat the coronavirus pandemic.