Speakers of Bosnia's upper and lower Parliament chambers, Denis Zvizdic and Dragan Covic, met European Union (EU) enlargement commissioner Oliver Varhelyi in Brussels on Monday and expressed the strong commitment towards the country's EU integration.
European integration is the most efficient instrument to adopt the European values, preserve the stability and speed up the process of economic growth as well as cooperation in the region, said Zvizdic, adding that this is why the country's road to the full membership has no alternative.
Covic underlined that Bosnia's EU integration would enhance its stability, noting that the recent formation of the state-level government means that the conditions to resume the path of European integration have been met.
He also expressed hope that the electoral legislation will be amended by April this year, which would enable holding of local elections in the City of Mostar, for the first time after 2008.
Varhely, who assumed the post of the European Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations in December 2019, told the Bosnian officials that the upcoming EU-Western Balkans summit in Zagreb, which comes during Croatia's EU Presidency, is a chance to focus on the region and encourage the development of economy and education. He also expressed concerns over the migrant crisis the region is struggling with.
With Speaker of House of Representatives @DrZvizdic and Chairman of House of Peoples @Dragan_Covic: With authorities in place, important that reforms in #Bosnia&Herzegovina continue, following @EU_Commission opinion w 14 recommendations. Migration challenge also high on agenda. pic.twitter.com/NUWPLGZrR3
— Oliver Varhelyi (@OliverVarhelyi) January 27, 2020
The officials agreed on the necessity to strengthen the dialogue, cooperation and political stability, stressing that the reforms are crucial steps to meet the conditions for concrete steps in meeting the country's foreign policy goals.
