Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) has a great opportunity to catch up and match the progress of other European Union (EU) membership candidates. The upcoming period should be used as a significant step forward toward full membership in the EU, said Davor Ivo Stier in an interview, the newly elected president of the European Parliament Delegation for Relations with BiH and Kosovo.
The Croatian Member of the European Parliament emphasized that the climate in Europe regarding enlargement has shifted, and BiH should take advantage of this opportunity.
“It is paradoxical that it was precisely Russia’s aggression against Ukraine that brought the issue of enlargement back to the agenda, and now there is indeed goodwill regarding the success of this process. Of course, much depends on BiH, which must carry out all the necessary reforms on this path, but our delegation will contribute by keeping the issue of BiH’s candidacy constantly on the agenda in European institutions. Together with fellow parliamentarians from BiH, we will work towards the success of this process,” Stier announced.
According to him, awareness is growing in the EU that enlargement has an important geopolitical dimension.
“It pertains to Ukraine’s candidacy, but also to the unfinished business in the Western Balkans, which must not become a gap in the continent but must be integrated into the EU. Today, in the corridors of the European Parliament, the European Council, and the European Commission, you can feel the growing awareness that this needs to be done. Each candidate country is expected to do its part. This must be a partnership, but there is certainly an awakened awareness that enlargement is a crucial tool the EU has to build a new infrastructure of peace, stability, and prosperity in the Western Balkans,” concluded Davor Ivo Stier, the President of the European Parliament Delegation for Relations with BiH and Kosovo.
He also announced the arrival of a European Parliament observer mission to BiH to monitor the upcoming local elections, while a joint committee meeting between the European Parliament and the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH (PABiH) is expected to take place by the end of October.
Davor Ivo Stier is an experienced Croatian politician and diplomat. He was elected to the European Parliament on the HDZ list, and in his rich political career, he also served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Croatia.
