The Chairman of the Joint Committee for European Integration of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Zdenko Ćosić, participated in Budapest at the Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs (COSAC)

The Chairman of the Joint Committee for European Integration of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina (PSBiH), Zdenko Ćosić, participated today in Budapest at the Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs (COSAC).

At the COSAC session, which was also attended by European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi, the program and priorities of the six-month Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) were presented. As confirmed by Hungarian Minister for EU Affairs Janos Boka in his address to COSAC participants, one of the priorities of the Hungarian Presidency will be strong support for the EU enlargement process for the Western Balkan countries.

Chairman Zdenko Ćosić addressed the participants during the session titled "The State of EU Enlargement to the Western Balkans and the East." Evaluating the importance of this topic not only for the countries directly involved in the enlargement process but also for the stability, security, and prosperity of the entire European continent, Chairman Ćosić expressed hope that Bosnia and Herzegovina would make significant progress in implementing the key recommendations of the European Commission from October 2022, and receive a negotiating framework to begin EU membership talks.

Expressing his gratitute to the Commissioner Varhelyi and the Hungarian hosts for their commitment to the EU enlargement process for the Western Balkan countries, Chairman Ćosić noted that despite progress, Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region still face numerous challenges, including political stability, rule of law, economic disparities, and external influences. "Addressing these issues requires coordinated efforts from both the EU and candidate countries for EU membership," concluded Ćosić in his address to the COSAC session participants.

During this session, European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi and Hungarian State Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Sztaray also addressed the participants. (end)