Chairman of the Council of Ministers of BiH Denis Zvizdic spoke in Dubrovnik on the margins of the 8th Summit of Heads of Central and Eastern European Countries and China with Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dancila on the European path of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Chairman Zvizdic thanked Prime Minister of Romania, the country currently chairing the European Union, which puts the EU enlargement as one of the priorities of its presidency.
He informed the prime minister that, by ending the process of answering the additional questions of the European Commission, Bosnia and Herzegovina fulfilled all the conditions for obtaining candidate status.
He stressed that getting candidate status as soon as possible created a new dynamic of relations between BiH and the EU, and had a positive impact on political processes in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region.
Prime Minister Dancila said that her country strongly supports the enlargement of the European Union and expressed the full support of Romania’s Euro-Atlantic integration of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
There was also talk of improving economic cooperation. The speakers agreed that multilateral initiatives such as “One Road One Belt” are a good basis for joint projects.
At the summit, participants reviewed the results of the cooperation between China and CEECs (hereinafter referred to also as “16+1 Cooperation”) and hold that the Sofia Guidelines for Cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European Countries are being implemented in an effective manner. 16+1 Cooperation has proven to be a pragmatic and useful platform for promoting cooperation between China and CEECs.
The Participants hold that 16+1 Cooperation is an embodiment of the 17 countries jointly supporting the development of a sustainable and open world economy, and a rules-based multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization (WTO) at its core. The Participants reaffirm their commitment to uphold the UN Charter and international law, the three pillars of the UN and transparency, inclusiveness, fairness, justice and pragmatism. Participants express their commitment to fight corruption and bribery in all their forms. The Participants are determined to promote economic globalization, help realize the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, and encourage full implementation of the Paris Agreement.
The Participants will provide a fair and just environment and a level playing field for foreign companies doing business in their own countries by upholding the principles of mutual respect, mutual benefit and fair competition.
Also, the Participants underline that 16+1 Cooperation constitutes an important part of Europe-China relationship and complements the EU-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and the EU-China 2020 Strategic Agenda for Cooperation. They reaffirm their commitment to deepening their partnership for peace, growth, reform and civilization. In this respect, the Participants support the early conclusion of an ambitious EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment. The Participants recognize the importance of the Belt and Road Initiative and the EU Strategy on Connecting Europe and Asia and welcome forging synergies between them. The Participants express their willingness to conduct cooperation using the opportunities provided by the Initiative and the Strategy, which for the EU Member States would also complement relevant EU initiatives.
Acting upon the spirit of the Suzhou Medium Term Agenda and past Summit Guidelines, participants formulate and issue the Dubrovnik Guidelines for Cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European Countries with “Building new bridges through openness, innovation and partnership” as its theme, giving direction for the future development of 16+1 Cooperation.
Participants will conduct cooperation in accordance with national laws and regulations. EU Member States will conduct cooperation in accordance with EU law and policies. Institutions cooperating within the framework of 16+1 Cooperation will also conduct cooperation in the same spirit, was stated at the summit.
