Chairman of the Joint Commission for European Integration of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina (PSBiH) Zdenko Ćosić, Deputy Chairman of the Joint Commission Miroslav Vujičić and member of the Joint Commission Mia Karamehić-Abazović today spoke with the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia Gordan Grlić Radman about further steps of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the process of European integration.
Minister Grlić Radman welcomed all the results achieved by BiH on the European path, and emphasized that Croatia is the strongest advocate among all European Union (EU) members for the continuation of the European integration process of BiH and the opening of pre-accession negotiations with the EU and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Pointing out that it was Croatia that initiated the sending of a letter to the EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, in which seven EU member states are strongly advocating for the opening of pre-accession negotiations between BiH and the EU by the end of 2023, Minister Grlić Radman announced that Croatia will continue to intensively lobby for BiH in the process of European integration.
The delegation of the Republic of Croatia, which included the State Secretary for Europe at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia and the co-chairman of the Joint Commission for Monitoring the Implementation of the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Croatia and the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina on European Partnership, Andreja Metelko – Zgombić, as well as the Ambassador of the Republic of Croatia in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ivan Sabolić, welcomed the holding of the Second High-Level Political Forum between the EU and Bosnia and Herzegovina on December 5 in Brussels, and invited all representatives of the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina to use, as they said, the opportunity and the favorable political climate that, due to the complex geopolitical situation, in the EU, and to continue implementing credible reforms that would fulfill the conditions for obtaining a date for negotiations with the EU.
They offered Bosnia and Herzegovina full expert and technical assistance and support in the negotiation process, and said that the opening of that process will also mean the opening of European funds for the economy and citizens, as well as the realization of significant funds from the announced Growth Plan, with which the EU prepared 6 billion euros for all countries of the Western Balkans.
Thanks to the sincere and concrete support provided by Croatia to BiH on the European path, the members of the Joint Commission for European Integration of the PSBiH expressed the expectation that the EU will recognize the strategic and security importance of the continuation of the process of enlargement to the countries of the Western Balkans and that Bosnia and Herzegovina will receive the status of negotiator for full membership in the EU.
The members of the Joint Commission said that the membership of BiH in the EU is a strategic goal around which there is a consensus of all political forces in BiH. They noted that the erasure of the borders with Croatia, ie the EU, would be of great importance for BiH, which, as they assessed, would contribute to stronger economic cooperation between the two countries, as well as better foreign trade exchange and circulation of people, goods and capital.
Welcoming the establishment of the Joint Commission for monitoring the implementation of the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Croatia and the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina on European Partnership, the members of the Joint Commission for European Integration of the PSBiH advocated for more frequent meetings of the officials of the two countries, as well as for the opening of road and railway corridors, which they would assess increased the level of cross-border cooperation and contributed to the better realization of projects in the field of tourism, it was announced from PSBiH.
