The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Elmedin Konaković, met with the High Representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, on the sidelines of the Dubrovnik Forum International Conference.
“The meeting discussed the current political situation in BiH, the reform process and the fulfillment of 14 priorities from the Opinion of the European Commission on BiH’s application for EU membership and regional cooperation,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of BiH announced.
Konaković expressed his gratitude to the European Commission for the decision of June 30 to allocate 303 million euros for the financing of eight key infrastructure projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“He assessed the granting of candidate status to BiH as a historic step and reiterated that the goal and priority of BiH’s foreign policy is full membership in the EU. He expressed the hope that BiH will adopt some of the laws from the 14 priorities in the next two months in order to open the chapter of BiH’s final negotiations with EU,” the announcement states.
During the conversation, he also referred to the importance of appointing EUROPOL’s liaison officer and establishing a systematic and institutional framework in order to encourage the effective exchange of intelligence data between EUROPOL and the police authorities in BiH.
He expressed his satisfaction with the fact that Bosnia and Herzegovina has significantly increased its efforts to align with the Common Foreign and Security Policy of the EU, and that since January of this year, that alignment has been 100 percent.
“High Representative of the EU Borrell expressed his concern after the adoption of the Law on non-application of the decisions of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Law on Amendments to the Law on the Publication of Laws and Other Regulations of the Republika Srpska in the National Assembly of the Republika Srpska. He emphasized that such decisions represent a deviation from the expectations that followed the granting of candidate status Bosnia and Herzegovina for membership in the EU,” the announcement states.
It is added that Borrell emphasized that the EU has shown that it is a loyal partner to Bosnia and Herzegovina with an unequivocal commitment to its perspective of joining the EU.
“The interlocutors also exchanged opinions on preparations for the 5th session of the Stabilization and Association Council between BiH and the EU, which will be held on July 19, 2023.
