This is a key moment for the Government of Bosnia’s Federation (FBiH) entity. The candidate status was a signal to the citizens, but also a task for all levels of government that they must work more intensively on the implementation and fulfilment of the priorities set by the EU, concluded the head of the EU Delegation to BiH, Johann Sattler, and the US Ambassador to BiH, Michael Murphy, at a meeting with representatives of the FBiH authorities in Sarajevo.

The FBiH Prime Minister Nermin Niksic said, after the meeting, that the partners are very committed to supporting the work of the FBiH Government and helping prioritize the work of the Government towards Bosnia’s European path.

“They have shown with their actions that they are friends of BiH and that they are available in full capacity to work and benefit the BiH citizens. We also presented our priorities as the FBiH Government and I’m glad that we agree on all those priorities, namely that the rule of law and the fight against corruption are key. They were informed that there will be a meeting very soon between the Minister of Justice, me as Prime Minister and the Director of the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council (HJPC BiH), in order to create an FBiH Prosecution Department and a Department in the Supreme Court that would process what the FBiH Prosecution Department determines. We familiarised them with the challenges facing the Government,” said Nisic and thanked Ambassador MiMurphy and EU Special Representative in BiH Sattler.

The US ambassador to BiH said that he was satisfied with the meeting where they established common priorities that must be fulfilled and implemented in order for BiH to achieve its European path.

“This is a key moment for the FBiH Government after the former Government in a technical mandate. Inflation, education and employment are priorities and ethnic intolerance should not be the focus. We discussed these reforms and the issue of the rule of law and the adoption of all regulations that will enable the operation of public companies and the creation of new jobs. Also, the implementation of the “southern interconnection” project, the construction of which could create new jobs. The FBiH government needs to pass these laws very quickly to begin their implementation. We will hold accountable those willing to gamble on this. Opportunities like this are rare and if missed, there is no going back. I hope that the FBiH Government will take full advantage of this opportunity,” said Ambassador Murphy.

The EU's special representative also expressed satisfaction with the meeting and repeated what Ambassador Murphy said that this is a unique opportunity for Bosnia.

“The candidate status was a signal to the citizens, but also a task for all levels of government that they must work more intensively on the implementation and fulfilment of the priorities set by the EU. My boss, Ursula von der Layen, presented a couple of important things for the Western Balkans, in Bratislava. We should take advantage of this accelerated process of integration into the EU market and more intensive regional cooperation and concrete activities that we have agreed with the FBiH Government to ensure the rule of law. Likewise, our support is not declarative, but to take advantage of the geopolitical situation and work with these governments to achieve their goals. The FBiH level is important for EU integration because over 90% of FBiH citizens wish for that path,” said Sattler.