Committee on Foreign Affairs
The Chair
Ref.: D(2019) 41161
D 315992 14.11.2019
Dear Chair, dear colleague,
I would like to cordially invite you, together with a small delegation from your committee,
to an
inter-parliamentary committee meeting
of the Foreign Affairs Committee on
4 December 2019.
The future Vice-President/High Representative, Mr Josep Borrell, and
the future Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement will be invited to address
us at this meeting, once confirmed by the European Parliament.
At the outset of a new European political cycle, I believe that this is an excellent moment
for a debate on the EU’s foreign policy orientations for the coming years. EU foreign
policy finds itself at a critical juncture. Confronted with a global environment
characterised by geopolitical rivalry and growing challenges to the rules-based
international order, the EU must take on a global leadership role and be more assertive in
protecting and promoting its interests and values. The next years will be decisive for
defining the EU’s future role on the global
scene.
The debate with the new Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement will also
allow us to discuss the way forward for the EU’s relations with the Western Balkan
countries and the future of enlargement more generally after the disappointing
“non-
decision” on accession talks with Albania and North Macedonia.
As you can see in the attached draft programme, the event will take place in the afternoon
of 4 December and will be preceded by a working lunch for the heads of delegation. The
final programme will be circulated in due time.
I hope you will be able to join us on 4 December and look forward to a fruitful debate.
Yours sincerely,
David McAllister