Borrell concerned about laws adopted by the National Assembly of Republika Srpska

(Patria) - Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina Elmedin Konaković met today on the sidelines of the Dubrovnik Forum International Conference with the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission Josep Borrell Fontelles.

The meeting discussed the current political situation in BiH, the reform process and the fulfillment of the 14 priorities from the European Commission's Opinion on Bosnia and Herzegovina's application for EU membership, as well as regional cooperation.

Konaković expressed gratitude to the European Commission for the decision of June 30 to allocate 303 million euros for the financing of 8 key infrastructure projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

He assessed the granting of candidate status to Bosnia and Herzegovina as a historic step and reiterated that the goal and priority of Bosnia and Herzegovina's foreign policy is full membership in the European Union.

He expressed hope that BiH will adopt some of the laws from the 14 priorities in the next two months in order to open the chapter of final negotiations between BiH and the EU.

During the conversation, he also referred to the importance of appointing an EUROPOL liaison officer and establishing a systemic and institutional framework to encourage effective intelligence exchange between EUROPOL and police authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

He expressed satisfaction with the fact that BiH has significantly increased its efforts in aligning with the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy, and that this alignment has been 100 percent since January of this year.

EU High Representative Borrell expressed concern after the adoption of the Law on Non-application of Decisions of the Constitutional Court of BiH and the Law on Amendments to the Law on Publication of Laws and Other Regulations of Republika Srpska in the National Assembly of RS.

He emphasized that such decisions represent a departure from the expectations that accompanied the granting of candidate status to BiH for EU membership.

He points out that the EU has shown itself to be a loyal partner to Bosnia and Herzegovina with an unambiguous commitment to its accession perspective to the EU.

The interlocutors also exchanged views on the preparations for the 5th Stabilization and Association Council meeting between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the European Union, which will be held on July 19.