A session of the Committee of the Regional Initiative for Migration, Asylum and Refugees (MARRI) was held in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, under the chairmanship of Bosnia and Herzegovina on Tuesday. The session was attended by senior representatives of the ministries of foreign affairs and ministries responsible for security from the Western Balkans region.
MARRI, an initiative founded in 2004, is the only regional initiative dealing with migration management through a regionally harmonized approach. Its focus is on reaching the international and European standards of the members of the Western Balkans in the areas of migration, asylum, border control, human trafficking, the visa regime, and the return and readmission of refugees. The key goal of the initiative is to enable the free movement of people in the Western Balkans region with efficient management, which contributes to the development and stability of the region. Apart from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Kosovo* also participate in MARRI.
At the beginning of the session, on behalf of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of BiH Elmedin Konaković, the authorized Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of BiH, Edin Dilberović, addressed the participants, emphasizing the importance of MARRI. The session of the Committee was chaired on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina by Ambassador at Large Zoran Perković, together with the director of the MARRI Regional Center Angela Boranieva.
The strategic priorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s MARRI presidency included strengthening cooperation with competent authorities of EU member states, European Union institutions and international and regional partners, as well as strengthening the role of MARRI in the main regional mechanisms in establishing joint and coordinated regional responses to the implementation of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum. The operational goals included suppression of human trafficking and smuggling, data exchange and operational cooperation in the region.
The meeting was held on the eve of the annual MARRI Forum, scheduled for June 4, 2026 in Sarajevo, which will bring together ministers responsible for security and internal affairs from the Western Balkans, representatives of the European Union and numerous other participants. At today’s session, a consensus was reached on the key MARRI documents that will be proposed for adoption by the Forum participants.
With this meeting, Bosnia and Herzegovina ends its very successful one-year presidency of MARRI, and the handover of the presidency between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo* will take place at the Forum.
*This designation does not prejudge positions on the status of Kosovo and is in accordance with Resolution 1244 of the United Nations Security Council and the Opinion of the International Court of Justice on the Declaration of Independence of Kosovo.
