Bosnia and Herzegovina remains a reliable partner to the European Union (EU) in terms of security, and dealing with the issues of migration and organised crime, EU Special Representative in Bosnia Lars-Gunnar Wigemark said following a meeting of the Political and Security Committee (PSC) delegation and Bosnian state authorities on Thursday.
Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region as a whole remain very much in the EU's focus, Wigemark said, adding that it is very important to continue to work on the EU integration path, “in particular for this country.”
“A lot has been done over the past four years but obviously a lot remains to be done,” stressed the EU's ambassador in Bosnia, recalling that the country applied for the EU membership and that the European Commission is in the process of preparing its opinion on that application.
A delegation of the PSC, the Union's body keeping the track of the international situation, paid a two-day visit to Sarajevo, where they met with the State Presidency, ministers and Bosnian Parliament members to analyse the situation in the country.
Borders in the region were among the issues that the committee discussed with Bosnian representatives, according to Wigemark.
“The borders in this region need to be permanently recognised and ratified once and for all, and that goes for all borders,” he said, mentioning the Bosnia-Montenegro border settlement as an example of how it has to be done.
The final border agreement is the only way to stabilise the whole region and it is the essential criteria for the EU integration, he added.
Wigemark assessed the visit as “very important” as this was the first time in four years that all 28 member states took part in the committee's visit to Bosnia.
Among other issues discussed at meetings with Bosnian authorities, the EU representative in Sarajevo highlighted the talks on the rule of law and judiciary. According to him, the PSC ambassadors recognised corruption as a crucial issue based on what they heard from the civil society representatives in the meetings.
“You cannot have a secure country if the citizens feel insecure, don't feel equal before the law, the judiciary is too weak and too influenced by various political forces,” he stressed.
