Members of the Collegium of both Houses of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina meet with the rapporteurs of the Council of Europe

 Members of the Collegium of both Houses of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina met today in Sarajevo with the rapporteurs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Egidijus Vareikis and Roger Galea to discuss the current political and security situation in BiH, as well as the obligations that the coutry needs to fulfill as a member state of the Council of Europe.

The open discussion was attended by the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH, Borjana Krišto, and her deputies Mladen Bosić and Šefik Džaferović, as well as by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Peoples of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH, Safet Softić. Topics included a number of issues and problems that BiH faces in its efforts to accelerate its European path, and meet the requirements related to the democratization of society and respect for fundamental human rights and fundamental freedoms of all BiH citizens.

It was noted that, subsequent to changes in the order of priorities, the entry into force of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the European Union, and the adoption of the European agenda by BiH authorities, the country has taken ​​a step forward in the process of European integration.

Speakers stated that they are aware of the fact that it is necessary to fulfill the duty of applying the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of "Sejdić - Finci" and other similar cases, noting the need to change the BiH Constitution and the Election Law in this respect.

Other topics discussed during the meeting included judicial reform, the improvement of the Law on Conflict of Interest, and the issue regarding the name of the mother tongue of Bosniak children in Republika Srpska.

It was emphasized that there exists a need to increasingly focus on solving economic and social issues, as well as on the fight against organized crime and corruption.

Rapporteurs of the PACE also spoke with members of the Permanent Delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH in the PACE. (End)