The Paneuropean Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina organized the international conference ‘One Hundred Years of the Paneuropean Union, and Bosnia and Herzegovina’ in Sarajevo on Friday.
President of the Pan-European Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Osman Topčagić, said that today’s meeting was organized on the occasion of the centenary of the International Paneuropean Union. It began with the publishing of Count Richard von Coudenhove-Kalergi’s manifesto Paneuropa (1923), which presented the idea of a unified European State.
He reminded that in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Paneuropean Union as an organization was started by its honorary president Professor Franjo Topić back in 1994.
He pointed out that Paneuropean organizations operate in 28 European countries. A significant number of members of the European Parliament are also members of the Paneuropean Union and, acting in the European Parliament, promote the ideas represented by the Paneuropean Union.
“BiH in this context has the support of the Paneuropean Union on its European path. What is important is that we received candidate status in December last year, and one panel at today’s conference is dedicated to the question of how to get from receiving candidate status to the opening of negotiations,” said Topčagić.
Head of the EU Delegation in BiH and the EU’s Special Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ambassador Johann Sattler, expressed his satisfaction that he could address the conference on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Paneuropean Union.
“If its founders had known 100 years ago that a good part of their dreams and vision would come true, I think they would have been proud. A lot of that has already come true, 27 member countries have joined forces, and contributed a lot. However, at the same time, this whole idea is not complete until the Western Balkans become part of the European Union,” Sattler pointed out, Fena reports.
