European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi said after the third high-level Political Forum on the European integration of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo that Bosnia and Herzegovina must fulfill the eight conditions stated by the European Council in March and accelerate the implementation of reforms if it wants to progress on the European path.
He stated that it is crucial to adopt the Law on Courts, the Law on HJPC, the Law on Protection of Personal Data and the Law on Border Control in order to approve the so-called a framework for negotiations which is the first step in starting actual membership negotiations.
Varhelyi said that the EU is ready to propose the urgent adoption of that framework, but that at the same time everyone in BiH must work so that the country fulfills the remaining conditions.
He added that the EU is ready to pay BiH the first tranche of funds from the EU Plan for the Western Balkans in the amount of around 138 million euros before the summer if the budget of the institutions of BiH is adopted and that he hopes that the ruling coalition will be able to do it quickly.
“Now is the time when the whole country should fulfill its obligations and stand up for the European path because our doors are open,” Varhelyi stressed.
He underlined that the EU was very satisfied with the reform efforts that preceded the decision to start negotiations, but now it is necessary for all actors in BiH to intensify their efforts instead of dealing with daily political disagreements.
The forum was attended by the deputy chairpersons of the BiH Council of Ministers, members of the Collegium and chairmen of the clubs of representatives and delegates in both houses of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH, the prime ministers of entities and ten cantons in the Federation of BiH, and the mayor of Brčko District of BiH, Fena writes.
