GGI Briefs European Parliament’s AFET Committee on Strengthening Accession Country Parliaments

Democracy and Human Rights
Brussels -
30
January 2025

On 30 January, GGI’s Chair of the Board, Professor Joachim Koops, presented the findings of GGI’s latest study to the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET). The study, commissioned by the European Parliament, examines how to strengthen the capacities of accession country parliaments within the evolving EU enlargement methodology.

The briefing sparked a lively discussion among Members of the European Parliament, who engaged in an in-depth exchange on the study’s key findings and recommendations. MEPs expressed strong appreciation for the quality and depth of analysis provided in the report, which assesses democracy support initiatives across ten enlargement countries, including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Türkiye, Ukraine, and Kosovo.

The study underscores the crucial role of functioning democratic institutions in the accession process and highlights best practices, persistent challenges, and gaps in EU support measures. It also calls for more coherent and targeted efforts by EU institutions and Member States to enhance parliamentary effectiveness and democratic resilience in candidate countries.

You can watch the briefing below:

You can download the full report here: