(1)

On 2 April 2020, the Council agreed to appoint a European Union Special Representative (EUSR) for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue and other Western Balkan regional issues.

(2)

On 2 April 2020, the Council adopted Decision (CFSP) 2020/489 (1), which appointed Mr Miroslav LAJČÁK as the EUSR for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue and other Western Balkan regional issues.

(3)

The EUSR’s mandate has been extended by Council Decisions (CFSP) 2021/470 (2) and 2022/1240 (3) and is set to expire on 31 August 2024.

(4)

The EUSR’s mandate should be extended for a further period of 5 months and the financial reference amount should be adjusted accordingly.

(5)

The EUSR will implement the mandate in the context of a situation which may deteriorate and could impede the achievement of the objectives of the Union’s external action as set out in Article 21 of the Treaty,

(1)

Article 1 is replaced by the following:

(2)

in Article 5(1), the third subparagraph is replaced by the following:

‘The financial reference amount intended to cover the expenditure related to the EUSR’s mandate for the period from 1 September 2022 to 31 January 2025 shall be EUR 6 650 000.’

(3)

in Article 13, the second sentence is replaced by the following:

‘The EUSR shall present the Council, the HR, and the Commission with regular progress reports and a final comprehensive mandate implementation report by 1 January 2025.’.