After meeting with Čović: Mogherini announces visit to BiH as a sign of encouragement for our country

Chairman of the Presidency of BiH Dragan Čović met in Vienna with the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission Federica Mogherini, reports the Patria news agency.

Čović and Mogherini discussed the current situation in BiH regarding its approach to the European Union and the next steps in this regard.

Čović expressed satisfaction with the positive developments on BiH's European path, about which he could inform High Representative Mogherini. In this context, he recalled that the Presidency of BiH adopted the Master Plan for the process of integrating Bosnia and Herzegovina into the European Union, which envisages concrete steps and deadlines for all levels of government in implementing necessary reforms.

He also emphasized that the Reform Agenda, as a framework for these reform processes, was also adopted and signed at the state, entity, and cantonal levels, as well as in the Brčko District. Čović highlighted the importance of the achieved agreement on the coordination mechanism for European integration affairs, which will enable Bosnia and Herzegovina to speak with a single voice when talking to the European Union.

The Chairman of the Presidency of BiH expressed confidence in the continuation of the already visible progress towards BiH's membership in the European Union and in the effective involvement of all relevant actors in this process.

As an exceptionally important support in this regard, Čović also assessed the continuous meetings with officials of the European Union and all member states. An indispensable aspect of successful European integration, he said, is regional cooperation, including infrastructural connectivity, to which the current Vienna conference on the Western Balkans will greatly contribute. Regarding the construction of transport infrastructure, the interlocutors jointly emphasized the importance of building the Adriatic-Ionian Highway for Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as for the entire region.

Mogherini assessed the steps made in the past period as very significant. She added that by adopting the mentioned documents, as well as through already undertaken concrete reforms, BiH has shown a strong commitment to seize the renewed initiative of the European Union and restart the dynamics of its integration process.

The High Representative also stated that dialogue at this level is a special incentive for further progress and additional intensification of mutual relations between BiH and the EU. At the same time, she confirmed an upcoming visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina, as a sign of encouragement for the continuation of positive movement towards the European Union, the Presidency of BiH announced.