The chairwoman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Borjana Krišto, said before the meeting of the Stabilization and Association Council of the EU and BiH officials that she will inform the EU representatives about the steps taken when it comes to stabilizing political conditions and relations.
She pointed out that during the day she will meet with the High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, and with the Commissioner for Enlargement, Oliver Varhelyi.
“Today’s meetings, and this fifth meeting of the Stabilization Committee, is an opportunity to raise our relations to a higher level through dialogue with the representatives of the EU and its debtors and all members on the one hand, and with the representatives of Bosnia and Herzegovina and its officials on the other hand, in terms of fulfilling our reform conditions”, said Kristo.
She emphasized that she hopes that today the representatives of the EU will testify about everything that BiH has done during this mandate period.
According to her, BiH has made an important step forward when it comes to stabilizing political conditions and relations, and also a step forward when it comes to the Council of Ministers.
“So far, we have held 23 sessions of the Council of Ministers, 18 regular and five extraordinary sessions, where we adopted many reform measures, laws, agreements on strategies in the fight against corruption and crime, various regulations. In fact, we created a prerequisite for the functioning and implementation of the stabilization agreement and joining,” said Kristo.
Košarac: RS supports European integration, we offered a solution to de-escalate the crisis
Without Republika Srpska, there is no solution in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Republika Srpska supports the European integration of BiH, which is best evidenced by its full commitment to the implementation of 14 priorities, said the Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of BiH Staša Košarac.
“That is our commitment and our policy. The one who blocks projects for Republika Srpska and advocates sanctions is actually undermining the EU,” he said.
According to him, the President of the RS Milorad Dodik and the institutions of the Republika Srpska have offered solutions to de-escalate the current political crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
He accused BiH Defense Minister Zukan Helez of “not coming to Brussels to be part of the solution”.
“He did not come to consider the way in which the processes in BiH will be unblocked, how we will get the institutions to function, how we will solve the issue of appointing the Minister of Finance in the Council of Ministers, how we will solve the problem of foreign judges in the Constitutional Court of BiH. He did not come to talk on the realization of 14 priorities. His sole motive is the spread of lies and untruths in European institutions, and chorus attacks on Milorad Dodik and Republika Srpska,” Košarac said.
According to him, insinuations and accusations against the leadership and institutions of Republika Srpska are completely unacceptable.
He added that the institutions of Republika Srpska want constitutional positions and consistent application of Dayton.
Representatives of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the European Union met in Brussels to discuss EU-BiH relations within the stabilization and association process.
At the 5th meeting of the Stabilization and Association Council, the two delegations will review the pre-accession process with regard to the Commission’s report for 2022, with an emphasis on political and economic criteria and the legal acquis and pre-accession assistance.
As announced, the participants of the meeting will review the current state of implementation of the Stabilization and Association Agreement.
