Following today’s positive decision of the Council for General Affairs to ask the European Commission to submit its opinion on the request of BiH for EU membership, Head of EU Delegation and EU Special Representative in BiH, Ambassador Lars-Gunnar Wigemark said that BiH made progress to get closer to the European Union.
“Today’s decision of the Council marks a major milestone for European Integration of BiH. It follows hard work of leadership of the country at all levels, which has shown its commitment by reforms. Most importantly, today’s decision is a response to citizens’ demands for a change and getting closer to the EU.”
This decision marks the beginning of a process in which BiH is trying to catch up with its neighbors in the region which are already candidates for EU membership. The European Commission will now begin to thoroughly assess current situation in several fields and sectors in BiH. This will lead to drafting opinions on BiH’s readiness to move forward in the process of accession to candidate status, and possibly open accession negotiations. It is too early to speculate on how long this will take.
In the meantime, BiH must not lose its focus. The reforms that promote economic growth and social justice, the rule of law and public administration should be continued, and the leaders and authorities in BiH should resolve it through dialogue.
The reform agenda promises much, and achieved momentum should be continued. The pace and effectiveness of the reforms for progress in the process of EU integration will ultimately determine the accession process. Effective coordination and cooperation between the competent authorities at all levels will be increasingly necessary in order to ensure progress in the process. Only through joint efforts, including dialogue, the country can progress on the path towards the European Union.
“The EU is ready to help BiH, with the firm belief that our common journey will bring real improvements to lives of the citizens of this country”, it has been announced.
(Source: nap.ba)
