The President of the European Commission (EC), Ursula von der Leyen, after the meeting with the Chairperson of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Borjana Krišto, stated that during her second mandate at the head of the EC, enlargement will be an absolute priority.
After yesterday’s visit to the flooded areas in Donja Jablanica, Von der Leyen expressed her support for Bosnia and Herzegovina and the people from the affected areas.
“The European Union is with you and we will continue to support you. Within the Civil Protection Mechanism of the European Union, many countries responded immediately, which shows how many friends Bosnia and Herzegovina has, how much they respect it in the region and how many partners are there to help you,” von der Leyen said.
The Solidarity Fund was also mentioned, which is regularly used by member countries during disasters, but it is also open to countries that have candidate status.
“We will of course consider that, but we considered whether help is needed at this time and that is why we made the decision to mobilize funds in the amount of 20 million euros immediately, without delay, and the recovery and rehabilitation phase will be supported through the Solidarity Fund,” pointed out von der Leyen.
She welcomed BiH’s commitment to the European path, adding that this country has come a long way and that with a lot of determination and hard work, it has finally reached candidate status, and it is now the stage when a positive decision was made to open accession negotiations in March this year.
“There is still a lot left when it comes to preparing for the formal opening of negotiations. I know that you are working hard on the adoption of laws in fundamental areas, which are democratic issues and the rule of law, and I most sincerely want this country to make strides on the European path. Bosnia and Herzegovina has shown countless times in the past that you can achieve results when you act and perform in a unique way, and I hope that in the future we will see even more of such a unique approach,” added von der Leyen
Speaking about the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, she stated that it is a road map that should enable the integration of certain economic activities into the common market, the market of the European Union, already at these stages.
“So, we are opening the market to companies from BiH in terms of access, but of course certain reforms need to be implemented so that we all have equal conditions, and the reforms are accompanied by financial resources that would be provided. We are at your disposal to jointly finalize the Growth Plan, and Bosnia and Herzegovina very much deserve that opportunity,” emphasized von der Leyen.
Another one of the initiatives, she added, concerns the investment plan for the Western Balkans, which is already in its fourth year.
“So far, it has shown stable results, mobilizing more than three billion euros in investments, primarily in terms of clean energy. It is known that the EU has set a goal of carbon neutrality until 2050, and we need to work, not only for member countries, but also for those aspiring to membership, to work together on this goal of carbon neutrality,” she said.
Chairperson Kristo stated that the government showed its responsibility, that they fulfilled their obligations, first of all through work, but also through consensus when making certain decisions.
“We are aware of the responsibility we have when it comes to the preparation of the intergovernmental conference, then the negotiation framework, the appointment of the chief negotiator, two deputies, the appointment of the national, or coordinator of BiH for the implementation of IPA funds…,” stated Krišto.
She added that they are aware of the upcoming obligations and that they will work diligently to fulfill them. First of all, the obligation regarding the adoption of the legislative part that also refers to the law on border control, the law on the court, the law on the HJPC, the law on the protection of personal data and the election law of BiH, which implies the implementation of European and Constitutional Court decisions.
When it comes to the Growth Plan, according to chairwoman Kristo, the bar is set high when it comes to Bosnia and Herzegovina, but despite everything, out of 113 proposed measures, 111 were approved.
“There are other obligations, that is, two measures related to the Constitutional Court and the way of decision-making in the competition council, the council for state aid. Despite our efforts, even private conversations, invitations to agree on that draft reform agenda, we were unable to get confirmation in some way, and I decided after everything to inform the European Commission on September 17. Of course, after that I expect their answer and attitude,” said Kristo.
When it comes to the Growth Plan, Kristo said that through oral conversations they were informed that three more additional measures await us.
“The growth plan applies to all countries equally. These are measures related to both the visa regime and the measures that talk about the fight against corruption and crime and budget monitoring. As soon as we receive it in writing, we will inform our working team for the EU Growth Plan and we will declare about it and we will work on it with dedication,” said Kristo.
As part of her four-day visit to the Western Balkans, during which she will meet with the leaders of Albania, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo and Montenegro, von der Leyen visited the flooded areas in Donja Jablanica yesterday with Chairperson Kristo, Federalna writes.