The Chair of the Joint Committee for European Integration of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Zdenko Ćosić, and the Deputy Chair, Dženan Đonlagić, participated in the meeting of the COSAC Chairpersons in the Belgian city of Namur

The Chair of the Joint Committee for European Integration of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina (PA BiH), Zdenko Ćosić, and the Deputy Chair of the Joint Committee, Dženan Đonlagić, participated in the meeting of the Chairpersons of the Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs of Parliaments of the European Union (COSAC). The meeting, held in the Belgian city of Namur, formalized Belgium's six-month presidency of the Council of the European Union.

The delegation of the PA BiH and parliaments of all candidate countries for EU membership found the third session particularly interesting, during which they exchanged opinions and views on the topic "Enlargement and its Impact on the Future of the EU". During the discussion, members of the PABiH delegation presented their remarks, first thanking the representatives of the Belgian presidency of the EU Council for including this important topic on the agenda of the COSAC Chairpersons' meeting. They then emphasized in their presentation how enlargement and its impact on the future of the EU are two important and interrelated issues for Bosnia and Herzegovina, as a candidate country for EU membership.

"EU accession is a strategic goal of Bosnia and Herzegovina, around which there is a strategic consensus that enables long-term dynamics and reform momentum.

In the last decade, we have seen a downward trend in public support for the European path in Bosnia and Herzegovina. If we receive a negative response from the EU in March 2024 for opening of accession negotiations, euroscepticism could continue to rise. Therefore, the EU and Bosnia and Herzegovina need to stop this trend together.

On the other hand, a positive response in March can provide an additional incentive to finalize the reforms initiated in the areas of political, judicial, and economic criteria for EU membership.

Finally, a positive response from the EU in March is a message to those who talk about enlargement fatigue.

Today, with the new context of geostrategic politics and security threats, a positive response to Bosnia and Herzegovina becomes even more important.

From today's perspective, the decision to admit Bulgaria and Romania to full EU membership in 2007 was not just a formal decision, but a vision.

Vision is what we still need today from the EU when it comes to Bosnia and Herzegovina's accession," said the Chair of the Joint Committee for European Integration of the PA BiH, Zdenko Ćosić, and the Deputy Chair of the Joint Committee, Dženan Đonlagić, in their presentation at the meeting of the COSAC Chairpersons. (End)