The Republic of France took over the presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) on January 1st, 2022, and the highest officials of that country announced great engagement when it comes to the European perspective of the countries of the Western Balkans.
French Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) Christine Toudic, in an interview with agency Fena, spoke about the six-month presidency’s plans, stressing that ‘Recovery, Strength and Affiliation’ had been chosen as the slogan.
”This word ‘affiliation’ is especially important because it really refers to the Western Balkans. President Emmanuel Macron has never hidden his support for the integration of the Western Balkan countries into the EU. After all, he himself proposed a new methodology so that these perspectives for joining would be less bureaucratic, more credible, more visible, and more binding,” Toudic said.
Toudic added that Macron, in his speech on January 19th in the European Parliament, reminded that the Western Balkans have their place in that European ensemble because it is both geographically and culturally obvious and there is no doubt about that.
The ambassador does not hide that they are worried about the current political situation because it is worse than in previous years, and they are especially worried because it is harmful to citizens, because it hinders economic development and implementation of necessary reforms, and at the same time prevents BiH from progressing on the way to the EU.
In an interview, the French ambassador also referred to the current election reforms, which she said they unconditionally support, and especially want the reforms to achieve fair representation of all components in BiH, specifically to achieve true equality among all without discrimination.
“Now, there is not much time left because the elections should be held in October and that reform should be completed soon. We believe that a compromise is needed on all sides, really on all sides, because that is what is necessary,” Ambassador Toudic expressed.
She announced that a conference would be organized during the French presidency of the EU, which should be a means to get closer to all sides and show that not only BiH in the Balkans has problems but the whole region has its unresolved issues.
E.Dz.
Source: Federalna
