Members of the Joint Collegium of Both Houses of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina Held a Meeting with a Delegation of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs

Members of the Joint Collegium of both Houses of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina (PA BiH) held a meeting today in Sarajevo with a delegation of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET), led by MEP Matjaž Nemec.

The meeting provided an opportunity for an open exchange of views on the current political situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the context of the European Union (EU) enlargement process and the country’s European path.

Members of the European Parliament once again strongly reaffirmed their support for the EU enlargement process and Bosnia and Herzegovina’s European perspective, stressing the need for Bosnia and Herzegovina to take advantage of the favourable disposition of the European institutions and make additional efforts towards implementing the reforms required for further progress in the EU accession process. In this regard, discussions also covered the growing internal and external challenges in the European integration process, the complex geopolitical environment, as well as the need to stabilise the political situation in BiH as a necessary precondition for advancing reforms and fulfilling the conditions for opening accession negotiations on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s EU membership.

Members of the Joint Collegium of both Houses of the PA BiH – Speaker of the House of Peoples Dr Nikola Špirić, Deputy Speaker of the House of Peoples Kemal Ademović, Deputy Speakers of the House of Representatives Darko Babalj and Dr Denis Zvizdić, and Member of the House of Peoples Marina Pendeš, on behalf of Deputy Speaker of the House of Peoples Dr Dragan Čović, presented diverse views on the current political situation in the country, as well as possible directions for overcoming the stalemate on BiH’s European path.

Both sides agreed that cooperation between parliaments is crucial for the exchange of experiences and the transfer of good practices in the process of European integration. In this respect, confidence was expressed that cooperation between the PA BiH and the European Parliament would continue, with the aim of supporting BiH in its EU accession process.

In addition to MEP Matjaž Nemec from Slovenia, the AFET delegation included Members of the European Parliament Christophe Gomart from France, Marta Temido from Portugal, and Tonino Picula from Croatia.

Also present at the meeting was the Head of the EU Delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ambassador Luigi Soreca.