By: Nevena Šarenac
In the building of the EU delegation to Sarajevo, a welcome reception for Croatia to the EU was held today with the presence of members of the diplomatic corps of member EU states. Croatia became an official member of the EU today.
The host of the reception, Head of the EU Delegation to BiH and Special Representative of the EU to BiH Peter Sorensen wished a warm welcome to Croatia, and added that the country’s accession to the EU is fresh proof of the transformative power of the power of enlargement policy of the EU.
Sorensen believes that Croatia’s achievement is a strong symbol for all countries in the region, including BiH.
“Croatian membership in the EU once again confirms the perspective of European integration and its openness towards all countries in the region. The accession of Croatia does not mean that Croatia is leaving the region, but that the EU is getting closer to BIH. The accession of Croatia means that BiH will become a country that is now literally in the arms of a common market, which would open up more opportunities for BiH, for which we hope BiH will know how to use’’, said Sorensen in a statement to the media.
He said that the discussions with BiH would continue, and said that he is convinced that appropriate solutions would soon be found that would ensure the smooth functioning of trade.
He said that it is important for the border crossing between BIH and Croatia to be ready for 1 July, even if more needs to be done on this.
“During the preparations for Croatia’s accession to the EU, much was talked about how the border crossing would not be prepared for export, but I visited these border crossings and they are ready for export, even if they are not ready to the extent that we would like them to be. However, the worst case scenario did not occur and we would continue to work on its improvement’’, said Sorensen.
He called on the BIH authorities to take additional efforts in order to make the Stabilization and Association Agreement enter into force with the EU, and added that it remains a fundamental prerequisite for the implementation of the ruling at the European Court for Human Rights in the “Sejdić –Finci” case, which obligates BIH to eliminate discrimination of national minorities from its Constitution and the electoral process.
When asked to comment on the fact that Croatia has become a full member of the EU, Serbia has received the green light and Montenegro is marching towards membership, while in our country citizens are protesting due to the contempt of basic civil rights, Sorensen said that this region has shown willingness to move towards EU membership, but politicians in BiH have to fulfill certain conditions.
“What is essential is the fulfillment of certain conditions, such as the implementation of the judgment at the European Court of Human Rights. Politicians in BiH have to do some things that are necessary for citizens, such as the issue of the unique master citizen number’’, warned Sorensen.
Today’s reception was also attended by the Croatian Ambassador to BiH Tonči Staničić, who said that by joining the EU, Croatia would be the extended arm to BiH, and added that he would support our country in implementing reforms and its progress to European integration.
“It is good for BiH now that the EU border is now closer to BiH than before, and everything else remains the same. When it comes to the border regime in each country, every country has these regimes. As far as I know, at the borders it is necessary to show 75 euros for entry into a country and credit cards and this is necessary also for Croatia. No one will be mistreated at the borders, and the police will do their jobs, but everything else remains the same’’, said the Croatian Ambassador, among other things.
At the ceremony, the Croatian flag was raised among the flags of the European Union member countries.
