Brussels, 17 June 2021
The European Parliament hosted today the second meeting of the EU-BiH Stabilisation and Association Parliamentary Committee (SAPC). Members of the European delegation for Bosnia and Herzegovina met with their counterparts of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina to exchange views on the country’s European perspective and in particular the progress on the 14 key priorities.
It was the first time in more than 5 years that a meeting of SAPC was held after structural issues of the delegations at both sides. Vice-chair of the delegation of the European Parliament Željana Zovko welcomed that the committee can finally continue its work with getting Bosnia and Herzegovina back its European path. Zovko also praised the efforts of the EU Delegation and the European Commission to unblock the problematic issue of the implementation of the decisions of International courts and the Constitutional Court related to the Electoral Law. “This is one of the key requirements for progress in Bosnia and Herzegovina and for the organisation of the upcoming general elections,” Zovko stated.
Zovko also mentioned the issue of the migration crisis that has struck the Bosnia and Herzegovina. “Croatia follows the situation with great caution as it has important obligations in protecting the European external border, and helps Bosnia and Herzegovina with its border security,” She said.
On the candidate status, Zovko underlined that it is not the European Parliament who has the final say. “The Council will never grant candidate status to a country that doesn’t provide internal peace. We, in the Parliament, are working to unblock the different standstills in the region but can only pass non-binding resolutions and act as facilitator.”
Finally, Zovko referred to the recent political agreement on the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA III). “as co-rapporteur for this file, I am proud that we have agreed on an extremenly large assistance package, worth 14,2 billion euro. The European Parliament will be able to monitor the implementation of the supported programs in the beneficiaries.” she said, and added that the instrument should be used to invest in human capacities and youth, as well as the other necessary reforms for the entry of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the European Union.