The European Parliament has officially appointed Riho Terras, an Estonian Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from the European People’s Party (EPP), as the new rapporteur for Kosovo.
This appointment, which was finalized on Monday, completes the list of rapporteurs for the countries in the EU enlargement process. The decision was made within the EPP group in the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament.
About Riho Terras
Terras, a former military officer from Estonia, has previously served as an MEP in the previous European Parliament session. The appointment reflects the ongoing commitment to overseeing the progress of Western Balkan countries in their EU accession process.
The Process of Appointment
The political groups in the European Parliament had agreed to divide the roles of rapporteurs for the Western Balkans countries. Each group then selected a rapporteur from their own ranks for the respective countries. The EPP group has taken on the responsibility for Kosovo, marking a significant change, as for the past 20 years, the rapporteur for Kosovo had traditionally come from the Green group. However, the Green party experienced a decline in support during the recent European Parliament elections earlier this year.
Other Appointments
- Bosnia and Herzegovina: Onderj Kolar (EPP, Czechia)
- Serbia: Tonino Picula (Socialists and Democrats, Croatia)
- North Macedonia: Thomas Waitz (Greens, Austria)
- Montenegro: Marjan Šarec (Renew Europe, Slovenia)
- Albania: Andreas Schieder (Austria)
- Ukraine: Michael Gahler (EPP)
- Moldova: Sven Mikser (Socialists and Democrats)
- Georgia: Rasa Juknevičienė (EPP)
- Turkey: Nacho Sánchez Amor (Socialists and Democrats)
These rapporteurs will closely follow developments in their assigned countries over the next five years, drafting annual reports on the countries’ progress. These reports will evaluate the advancements made in reforms and the countries’ fulfillment of criteria for EU integration, and they will be presented as resolutions in the European Parliament.
