The granting of candidate status for membership in the European Union (EU) is a great recognition for Bosnia and Herzegovina, but also a clear signal to the citizens that they should stay, invest and start families in this country, pointed out on Monday in Mostar the EU Ambassador to BiH Johann Sattler.
On Monday, he gave a lecture to students at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Mostar on the topic “Candidacy status for BiH”.
“I am very pleased to be in Mostar, I like to visit universities, talk and have meetings with young people, students, and today I am here in the light of last week’s decision on granting candidate status to Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is a significant and great moment which in itself is a recognition, but on the other hand also a task for new convocations on the European road,” said Sattler.
He pointed out that Bosnia and Herzegovina is on the right track now that it has been officially granted the status of a candidate for membership in the European Union.
“This is a very clear signal that you should stay in this country, invest, but also that this is a place where you can start your family. As for some of these financial aspects, there are already significant funds that are available and are being used, but also those that have remained unused, whether it is due to the indecision of the authorities or the lack of agreement,” said Sattler.
As an example of what kind of benefits Bosnia and Herzegovina has from the European Union, Sattler cited the example of the energy aid package provided by the EU in the amount of 70 million euros.
“The goal of this package is to help the poorest households and the most vulnerable categories of society in facing the significant increase in energy prices, so that, as far as financial aid is concerned, it existed, exists and will continue to exist in the future,” he pointed out.
On the way to full membership, the next stage for Bosnia and Herzegovina is the opening of negotiations.
“Based on the fifteen-year experience of the countries of the region, from the moment of candidate status to the next stage, some three to four years are needed, provided that the authorities fulfill their tasks, and the next stage is the opening of negotiations. For that to happen, we will need much more effort and focus than was the case before, and that is essentially those 14 key priorities,” emphasized Sattler.
He added that certain results have been achieved in the past two years when it comes to BiH’s path to the EU, Fena news agency reports.
