Kos begins three-day visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina

Kos begins three-day visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina

European Union Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos arrived on September 22 for a three-day visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

She already met with the Bosniak member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Denis Beqirović.

Neither Serbian Zelja Cvijanovic nor Croatian Zeljo Komsic participated in the meeting.

During the visit, Kos will also meet with other officials from this country, and will also speak before the Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

She will also meet with representatives of civil society organizations, media, local communities, influential women in business, and young people from across Bosnia and Herzegovina.

According to a statement from the European Commission Delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina, the purpose of the visit is to provide support to this country on its path towards the EU.

“The Commissioner will encourage the authorities to take all necessary steps to hold the long-awaited first intergovernmental conference, and will stress the importance of Bosnia and Herzegovina not missing the unique opportunity offered by the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans,” the announcement says.

Bosnia and Herzegovina received the green light for negotiations for full EU membership in March last year, but Brussels has warned that talks will only begin after the country meets a series of conditions.

They include harmonization with EU foreign policy, which means, for example, imposing sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine – a decision opposed by representatives of Bosnia’s Serb entity, Republika Srpska.

Another condition is the avoidance of ethnic and territorial discrimination in the election of members of the Presidency, as well as the reform of the Criminal Court and the Constitutional Court.

What is the Growth Plan?

The €6 billion Growth Plan includes investments and reforms for the Western Balkan countries as part of the reform agenda for the period 2024-2027. Of this amount, €2 billion is in the form of a grant, while €4 billion is in the form of a loan with very favorable installments.

The plan aims to accelerate reforms and prepare them for membership.

The main goal is to support the harmonisation of Western Balkan partners with EU values, laws, rules, standards, policies and practices, with a view to future EU membership, as well as their progressive integration into a single European market, as well as socio-economic convergence with the EU.

Financial resources are planned to support a range of socio-economic and fundamental reforms, including reforms related to the rule of law and fundamental rights.

General preconditions for EU support under the Growth Plan include continued support and respect for effective democratic mechanisms, including a multi-party parliamentary system, free and fair elections, pluralistic media, an independent judiciary and rule of law. of the law, as well as guaranteeing respect for human rights, including the rights of minorities.

Brussels has warned that without a clear reform plan and its implementation, Bosnia and Herzegovina will receive neither EU funds nor loans on favorable terms.

The first amount of 108 million euros out of about one billion euros planned under the Growth Plan for Bosnia was redirected last summer to other countries.

In October, Bosnia could lose a similar amount, as the European Commission has stressed that funds will be given to those who advance, not those who lag behind. /REL/