The future of Bosnia and Herzegovina is in the European Union, as a single, united, sovereign country, said the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, during her official visit to our country.
“Our cooperation so far has been excellent, thank you for that. We will continue to cooperate closely in the coming period as well. In order to make progress, Bosnia and Herzegovina needs to act unitedly, to act with one voice and one attitude. We, on the other hand, cannot allow a setback to our shared values in any part of your country,” Von der Leyen pointed out.
Her second message was that “we must work to bring our economies together”.
The Chairperson of the BiH Council of Ministers, Borjana Krišto, said that today’s arrival of Ursula von der Leyen is an opportunity to present the new growth plan of the European Union for the countries of this region.
“I think that we should all take advantage of the opportunity both in the region and in BiH to make a significant step forward based on this growth plan that is provided to us in the field of ensuring quality conditions for the life of all residents of BiH in all segments of life,” stated Krišto.
According to her, this visit represents an opportunity to get acquainted with the new growth plan, that is, with the new decision that the EU has made, which is a financial decision on six billion euros in aid to the countries of the region.
She stated that two billion refer to grants, and four billion through various types of loans.
“I think we should thank the EU institutions for this support and help, and everything else in terms of the implementation of these decisions and funds depends on all of us, when it comes to Bosnia and Herzegovina,” said Krišto.
Upon arrival in Sarajevo, Von der Leyen was met at the airport by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Elmedin Konaković, and then she met with members of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Denis Bećirović and Željko Cvijanović, followed by a meeting with Kristo.
During the past few days, Von der Leyen also visited North Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro and Serbia.
