European Union member countries’ national flags wave in front of the European Parliament | Frederick Florin/AFP via Getty Images
On Monday, March 10, the European Parliament approved the creation of new offices in Moldova and Albania to enhance its presence in Eastern Europe.
The European Parliament has liaison offices across the EU, and a few in non-EU countries for strategic purposes, News.Az reports citing Eurnoews.
For example, the European Parliament has “three operational antenna offices located in New York for relations with the United Nations, in Jakarta for relations with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and in Addis Ababa for relations with the African Union,” the document reads, with a new office in Panama to manage Latin America relations also underway.
The new antenna offices in Chisinau and Tirana aim to boost EU relations by supporting local Parliaments, civil society, and the EU accession process, while increasing visibility of Parliament’s activities and positions, particularly on EU enlargement, the document reads.
The Parliament has no direct competence over foreign affairs issues, which mainly reside in the hands of the Commission and the Council.
However, these new offices will have as a major aim to put the institution closer to the enlargement processes, the source familiar with the matter told Euronews.
The EU as a whole has offices in many countries worldwide, under the management of the European Union External Action Services (EEAS), which remains the main EU voice outside the bloc.