Džaferović meets with Ursula von der Leyen

Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Šefik Džaferović met with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.

They discussed the current security and political situation, with an emphasis on the unilateral moves by the authorities of the RS entity that threaten the Dayton Peace Agreement and 27 years of its implementation.

A special topic of the talks was the implications of Russian aggression against Ukraine on the Western Balkans, particularly regarding Bosnia and Herzegovina and the operation of Russian influence within BiH.

The Chairman of the Presidency of BiH informed the President of the European Commission about the activities of actors within BiH who, as part of Russian influence, are currently obstructing the implementation of EU sanctions against Russia, which BiH has joined at the highest level.

The Chairman of the Presidency of BiH requested from the President of the European Commission the granting of candidate status to Bosnia and Herzegovina, which would be of exceptional importance for stabilizing the situation in BiH.

He emphasized that Bosnia and Herzegovina does not wish to avoid its obligations under the Opinion of the European Commission, but that it wants the same treatment as other countries in terms of obtaining candidate status through an accelerated procedure due to geopolitical and security imperatives, especially since Bosnia and Herzegovina is under strong pressure from Russian influence.

They discussed activities aimed at implementing limited constitutional and electoral reforms, in line with the European Commission's requirement for BiH to implement the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights.

The Chairman of the Presidency of BiH underlined the need to hold elections within the legal deadlines, as calling into question the legal automatism in this regard is a direct path to the suspension of the democratic process and destabilization of the highest degree.

The Chairman of the Presidency of BiH thanked the President of the European Commission for everything she has done and continues to do for Bosnia and Herzegovina, the meeting concluded.