Member of the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Saša Magazinović, addressed the European Parliament

We know what happens when international partners turn away

The Member of the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Chair of the Parliamentary Club of the Social Democratic Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Saša Magazinović, addressed a special event on the enlargement of the European Union (EU) organized by the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) in the European Parliament.

During his address, Magazinović emphasized that Bosnia and Herzegovina recently received its best progress report to date, according to Commissioner for Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi, which paved the way for the conditional green light to start membership negotiations with the EU. However, he added that, in the case of Bosnia and Herzegovina, it is noticeable that there are states opposing the enlargement. In this regard, he called for a truthful assessment of the situation and urged to stop using arguments such as "EU reform," "additional conditions," etc., to disguise the stance of certain members who are currently against enlargement.

Magazinović particularly highlighted that Bosnia and Herzegovina, unfortunately, in not-so-distant history, has experienced what happens when international partners turn away and ignore injustice and infliction of evil and harm. He added that we live in a time of significant challenges, and it is necessary to remind ourselves of that, emphasizing that we have the right to demand that everything be done to prevent any form of injustice and disaster to be repeated for the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, being aware of the potential consequences of wrong decisions made by the EU.

President of the S&D Group in the European Parliament, Iratxe Garcia Perez, emphasized that it is time to end the longest period in the history of the EU without admission of new members. Pedro Marques, Vice President of the S&D Group responsible for foreign policy, emphasized the stance that the enlargement process should resume as soon as possible, and that EU enlargement remains a priority for European socialists and democrats. Croatian MEP Tonino Picula, expressing clear support for the enlargement process, emphasized that EU membership is often viewed in terms of financial assistance, infrastructure projects, etc., but besides that, EU membership implies human rights, protection of journalists, the rule of law, and more.

During his stay in Brussels, Magazinović also participated in the High-Level Political Forum between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the EU, attended by representatives of the executive and legislative authorities from Bosnia and Herzegovina. (end)