Germany wants to see Bosnia and Herzegovina and all the countries of the Western Balkans in the European Union and wants to continue to support and follow Bosnia and Herzegovina on its European path, said the head of German diplomacy, Annalena Baerbock, during a meeting with members of the collegium of both houses of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina, assessing how BiH currently has a unique chance to take a big step towards the EU.
Baerbock emphasized that she is convinced that Bosnia and Herzegovina should take advantage of this opportunity, and added that one of the important goals of her visit is to send a message of encouragement to the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina to continue with the adoption of reform laws and meeting the conditions for opening accession negotiations on full membership in the EU.
She also referred to the importance of the adoption of the Law on the Prevention of Conflicts of Interest in the Institutions of BiH, and the conclusion of an agreement with FRONTEX in order to protect the borders of BiH and the borders of the EU. She also mentioned the importance of fulfilling the recommendations of the OSCE and ODIHR in connection with the amendments to the BiH Election Law.
She expressed the interest of German investors in investing in the market of BiH and other countries of the region, and, in this connection, underlined the importance of further implementation of reforms, especially in the area of the rule of law.
Assessing that the visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the entire delegation of the Federal Republic of Germany is an encouragement ahead of the decision of the European Council on the opening of accession negotiations on the membership of BiH in the EU, the members of the leadership of both houses of the PSBiH informed Baerbock about the efforts to adopt harmonized legal solutions on the conflict of interests in the coming days. and amendments to the Law on Civil Service of BiH.
Thanks to Germany for its political and economic support, members of the collegium of both houses of the PSBiH said that the process of European integration, around which there is a consensus of all relevant political factors in BiH, can be a solution to the complex political situation in BiH.
In this regard, they said that in the last year, Bosnia and Herzegovina has made credible efforts to fulfill the conditions for opening accession negotiations, and expressed the hope that the European Council’s decision on this matter will be positive, and after March 21 will enable a stronger intensity of talks on open questions and the further movement of Bosnia and Herzegovina on the European path.
Emphasizing that Germany represents one of the most important foreign trade partners of Bosnia and Herzegovina, members of the leadership of both chambers of the PSBiH advocated for additional strengthening of economic cooperation and the development of bilateral relations between Bosnia and Herzegovina and FR Germany.
The meeting was attended by the Speaker of the House of Peoples of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina Kemal Ademović, Speaker of the House of Representatives PSBiH Marinko Čavara, Deputy Speaker of the House of Peoples Nikola Špirić, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Denis Zvizdić, and Chairwoman of the Croatian People’s Club in the House of Peoples Marina Pendeš, on behalf of the Deputy Speaker House of Peoples Dragan Čović, and chairwoman of the Club of SNSD deputies in the House of Representatives, Sanja Vulić, on behalf of the deputy chairman of the House of Representatives, Nebojša Radmanović.
Debora During, Jurgen Hart and Ulrich Lecht, members of the German Bundestag, and the special representative of the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany for the Western Balkans, Manuel Sarazin, also attended the conversation.
