374 million euros from IPA funds for economic recovery of Western Balkan countries

(Patria) - Chairman of the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina Denis Zvizdić today received a response from the President of the European Parliament, David Sassoli, to the recently sent joint appeal by the presidents of parliaments of the Western Balkan region.

The response emphasizes that the European Union is already taking a series of measures to provide assistance to the Western Balkan region.

So far, the appeal has already resulted in the European Commission's decision to allocate 38 million euros in aid to the Western Balkan countries for protective equipment and medical devices, and the Western Balkan countries have also been approved to participate in the joint public procurement program for protective medical equipment organized by the European Commission. In addition, the European Commission has decided to redirect already allocated 374 million euros from IPA funds for the economic recovery of the Western Balkan countries, which is also one of the measures requested in the appeal.

Chairman Zvizdić was informed that on April 21, a session of the European Parliament's Committee on International Trade (INTA) will be held, at which the possibility of including the Western Balkan region in the EU+ export permit scheme will be considered, which is another important step resulting from the appeal sent on March 25, 2020.