President Tusk will travel to Tirana, Podgorica, Belgrade, Sarajevo and Skopje from Tuesday 24 to Friday 27 April. The main purpose of the trip is to prepare for the EU-Western Balkans summit in Sofia on 17 May and to participate in the Brdo-Brijuni summit in Skopje.
In the European Parliament on 18 April President Tusk said:
"The message to our friends is clear: the European Union is and will continue to be the most reliable partner for the entire region. As the biggest investor, the biggest donor, the biggest trading market and the best promise for a better future for citizens. Our summit should reaffirm the European perspective of the region. And more importantly, it should improve, in concrete terms, connections with and within the region."
During his visit to the region President Tusk will meet Prime Minister of Albania Edi Rama, Prime Minister of Montenegro Duško Marković, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi, the members of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Dragan Čović, Mladen Ivanić and Bakir Izetbegović as well as the Prime Minister of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Zoran Zaev.
All these meetings will be important occasions to prepare for the upcoming summit with EU Heads of State or Government and the Western Balkans leaders in Sofia on 17 May. It will also be an opportunity to discuss bilateral relations with the European Union.
President Tusk will end his trip in Skopje where he will participate in the Brdo-Brijuni summit. The main objective of the Brdo-Brioni process is to gather all the Presidents from the Western Balkans region as well as Slovenia and Croatia to strengthen political dialogue, increase the levels of trust and promote the resolution of outstanding bilateral and regional issues.
| Council of the European Union | |
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"Supporting the future of Syria and the region": financial tracking report
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At the first Brussels conference on "Supporting the future of Syria and the region" on 4-5 April 2017, the international community and the governments of refugee hosting countries came together to reaffirm their commitments to help millions of affected civilians in Syria as well as Syrian refugees and the communities generously hosting them.
The international community pledged US$6 billion (EUR 5.6 billion) in funding to support humanitarian, stabilisation and development activities in 2017 in Syria and the region, and a further US$3.7 billion (EUR 3.5 billion) for 2018-20. International financial institutions and donors also announced almost US$30 billion (EUR 27.9 billion) in loans. In view of the second Brussels conference on 24-25 April, the Brussels II co-chairs - the European Union and the United Nations - published today a report on progress against these pledges.
| Council of the European Union | |
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Easier access to professions: EU ambassadors agree on new measures
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The EU's committee of permanent representatives (Coreper) today endorsed an agreement between the Bulgarian presidency of the Council and European Parliament negotiators on a directive that will require EU member states to carry out a proportionality test before establishing new requirements for professions.
"Europe needs a Single market for services. It is crucial to eliminate any unjustified barriers to the right of citizens to choose an occupation, conduct a business or provide services across the EU. A systematic and standardised check prior to the adoption of new provisions for regulated professions will help protect these fundamental principles of the internal market."
Krasimir Valchev, Minister for Education and Science of Bulgaria
The directive will improve transparency in the way certain professions are regulated in the member states. It will ensure that national measures are proportionate, and that they do not unduly restrict access to professional activities or create unjustified burdens in the internal market.
When regulating professions, member states will have to assess whether new or revised rules are justified by public interest objectives.
The future directive, which still needs endorsement by the Parliament and the Council before becoming law, will harmonise the way in which these proportionality tests are carried out and the criteria that will be applied.
The obligation to carry out a proportionality test before introducing new regulation of professions will complement the existing provisions of the Professional Qualifications Directive.
This directive is a part of the "Services package". The Services package, published on 10 January 2017, contains the following legislative proposals:
- Proposal for a services e-card
- Proposal for a services notification procedure
- Proposal for a proportionality test before adoption of new regulation of professions
It also includes guidance on reform recommendations for regulation of professional services.
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