High-Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell met on Wednesday, 10 March 2021, with Foreign Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bisera Turković in Brussels.
During the discussion, HR/VP Borrell encouraged Bosnia and Herzegovina to use 2021, as a non-election year, to advance decisively on the implementation of the 14 key priorities of the Commission’s Opinion on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s EU membership application. He welcomed recent positive steps in the reform agenda and underlined the EU’s commitment to support Bosnia and Hercegovina in further advancing on its European path.
HR/VP Borrell recalled the migration crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina at the beginning of 2021 and emphasised the importance of establishing a sustainable migration and asylum system, with a fairer sharing of responsibilities across the country.
HR/VP Borrell and Foreign Minister Turković also discussed the cooperation between the EU and the Western Balkans in tackling the Covid-19 pandemic and access to vaccines in the region. The HR/VP recalled the €70 million EU grant package for the Western Balkans made available by the European Commission to help cover the cost of some doses procured by EU member States. They also discussed support through the COVAX Facility. The EU, as TEAM Europe, is one of the strongest supporters of the COVAX facility, with more than €2.2 billion (including €1 billion EU funds).
Finally, discussing the reconciliation process in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the HR/VP underlined the need to overcome the legacies of the past and to progress from Dayton towards Brussels. The EU supports the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The first vaccines within the Covax program should arrive in Bosnia and Herzegovina on March 23, BiH Foreign Minister Bisera Turkovic announced on her Twitter account.
As she stated, on March 23, 24,300 doses of “Pfeizer” vaccine will arrive in our country, while on March 29, BiH will receive 36,000 doses of “AstraZeneca” vaccine.
The next delivery of vaccines within the Covax program, according to Turkovic, is expected on April 22, when 76,000 AstraZeneca vaccines should arrive.
