The 3rd session of the Parliamentary Committee for Stabilization and Association began in the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina

The 3rd session of the Parliamentary Committee for Stabilization and Association (SAPC) between PABiH and the European Parliament began today in the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina (PABiH) with the exchange of views and opinions on the state of relations between the European Union (EU) and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Snježana Novaković - Bursać and Romeo Franz, co-chairs of the SAPC, opened the session of this body which was established on the basis of the Stabilization and Association Agreement between BiH and the EU, saying that this was the first session of SAPC after the decision to grant the candidate status to BiH, as well as that the meeting took place at a decisive moment, a few days before the publication of the new Opinion of the European Commission on BiH's progress on the way to the EU.

Participants in the session were warmly greeted by the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina (PABiH), Marinko Čavara, and the Speaker of the House of Peoples of PABiH, Kemal Ademović. In their speeches, they emphasized the existence of full consensus among all political options in Bosnia and Herzegovina regarding the European path of the country. They called on officials of the European Parliament and the EU to support this commitment and to make a decision at the end of the year to start accession negotiations for Bosnia and Herzegovina's membership in the EU.

According to Speaker Čavara, Bosnia and Herzegovina has taken a step forward by adopting several reform laws in the PABiH and intensifying efforts to fulfil obligations and priorities outlined in the European Commission's Opinion on Bosnia and Herzegovina's membership application to the EU. Emphasizing that everyone in Bosnia and Herzegovina should be prepared for more compromises and tolerance to expedite the European path, Speaker Čavara stated that positive decisions by European institutions in November and December would serve as a genuine incentive for the continuation of the reform process and encouragement for all citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Expressing the unanimous position of the House of Peoples of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina (PABiH) that our country becomes a member of the EU, the Speaker of the House of Peoples, Kemal Ademović, also emphasized a strong commitment to strengthening the capacities of institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the areas of the rule of law, as well as the fight against corruption and organized crime, with the aim of creating better conditions for economic development and participation in the EU's single internal market.

Assessing that this mandate of the PABiH has made significant progress on Bosnia and Herzegovina's European path, Speaker Ademović expressed determination, in his position as the Speaker of the House of Peoples, to do everything possible to ensure that Bosnia and Herzegovina fulfils as many of the remaining priorities of the European Commission as possible and continues to progress in the European integration process.

Members of the SAPC were also addressed by the Deputy Head of the EU Delegation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Adebayo Babajide, and the Director of the Directorate for European Integration of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Elvira Habota. They spoke about the progress Bosnia and Herzegovina has made in recent months in fulfilling the priorities of the European Commission, as well as European standards in various areas.

As part of the exchange of views on the state of relations between the EU and Bosnia and Herzegovina, presentations were given by members of the European Parliament Thomas Waitz and Matjaž Nemec, as well as embers and delegates of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina (PABiH) Zdenko Ćosić, Mia Karamehić Abazović, Ilija Cvitanović, Branislav Borenović, Radovan Kovačević, and Šefik Džaferović.

Tomorrow, on the second day of the SAPC session, discussions are expected regarding the current situation related to fulfilling the 14 key priorities outlined in the European Commission's Opinion on Bosnia and Herzegovina's application for membership in the European Union. (End)