The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said today in Sarajevo that Bosnia and Herzegovina has shown many times in the past that it can achieve results on the way to the European Union (EU), when it acts unitedly.
As part of her visit to our country, Von der Leyen held a meeting with the Chairperson of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Borjana Krišto, and before that she also met with members of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, while yesterday afternoon she visited Donja Jablanica, which suffered the most in the recent floods and landslides.
The President of the European Commission once again expressed her condolences to the family members of those killed in the recent floods.
“It was painful to see the extent of the disaster in the area of Jablanica. I want to send a message to everyone that the EU was with you and that we will continue to provide support. You also activated the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism and within that mechanism, many countries responded immediately, which shows how many friends Bosnia and Herzegovina has,” Von der Leyen said at the press conference.
She also pointed out that the EU will also consider providing assistance to BiH from the Solidarity Fund, which is available to member countries in the event of natural disasters.
“The Solidarity Fund is a fund regularly used by member countries in the event of disasters and calamities, but it is also open to countries that have candidate status. We will of course consider that, but in addition, we felt that you need help immediately, and that’s why we made the decision to immediately, without delay, they are mobilizing funds in the amount of 20 million euros, followed by the recovery and rehabilitation phase, which will be supported through the Solidarity Fund,” Von der Leyen said, AA writes.