Deputy Chairs of the Joint Committee on European Integration of PABiH Miroslav Vujičić and Dženan Đonlagić met with a member of the National Council of the Republic of Austria

The Deputy Chairs of the Joint Committee on European Integration of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina (PABiH) Miroslav Vujičić and Dženan Đonlagić spoke today in Sarajevo with the representative of the National Council of the Republic of Austria, Dr Helmut Brandstätter, who is on a multi-day working visit to our country.

Deputy Brandstätter strongly supported the European path of Bosnia and Herzegovina, conveying the position of all members of the Austrian Parliament and the Government of Austria that the European Union cannot be complete without the integration of all the countries of the Western Balkan region. The guest from Austria was interested in the dynamics of the European integration process and the adoption of European laws, as well as the possibility of establishing a single market in BiH, modelled after the Member States of the European Union.

Pointing out that Austria and Bosnia and Herzegovina are two friendly countries, with no open issues, Deputy Chairs of the Joint Committee for European Integration of PABiH expressed their gratitude to Austria for the full political support provided to Bosnia and Herzegovina in the process of European integration, both bilaterally and in the institutions of the European Union. They welcomed the strong economic partnership between Austria and BiH, emphasizing the fact that BiH records a surplus in the foreign trade exchange of the two countries, as well as the fact that it is the country that invests the most in BiH, especially in the banking sector. They also emphasized the important role that Austria plays through the participation of a contingent of their soldiers in the Althea mission.

Vujičić and Đonlagić briefed the guest from Austria on the current political situation in BiH, stressing the fact that all leading political parties have a high level of consensus regarding BiH's European path. Such a situation, they said, should be used to speed up the process of European integration as much as possible, and in this regard, they asked for the support of Austria and all other members of the European Union.

At the meeting, the role of the diaspora from Bosnia and Herzegovina in strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries was welcomed. The importance of the role of young people in the European integration process of BiH was also pointed out. In this regard, they also discussed the possibilities for young people from all over BiH to participate in projects under the auspices of the European Union.

The interlocutors also discussed strengthening of inter-parliamentary co-operation through discussions with the subcommittee of the National Council of Austria for the European Union and cooperation with Members of the European Parliament. It was announced that at the end of June this year, members of the Joint Committee for European Integration of the PABiH will undertake a working visit to the European Parliament. (end)