First High-Level Meeting between the EU and BiH Since Accession Negotiations Began

(Patria) - Chairwoman of the Council of Ministers of BiH Borjana Krišto, along with a large BiH delegation, participated today in the first meeting of the BiH and European Commission delegations after the opening of negotiations.

Representing the EU, the meeting was attended by Gert Jan Koopman, Director-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations.

Krišto once again thanked the European Council and the European Commission for recognizing the efforts and achievements of the Council of Ministers of BiH and the current ruling coalition, and for making the decision to open accession negotiations between BiH and the EU.

"That support and recognition are of great importance for the continuation of our work and further progress in achieving our goals," said Krišto.

She expressed satisfaction that an ad hoc expert, operational, and high-quality BiH delegation was successfully organized in an exceptionally short period.

She reminded that the goal of today's meeting is to review the next steps and further clarify the negotiation process, especially the preparation and review of the EU acquis, as well as the review of the negotiation structure in BiH, ahead of the upcoming intergovernmental conference.

"It is very important that today, from the very beginning, as well as throughout the entire process, we show determination and commitment to establishing a constructive dialogue in which all levels of government will be involved at all times," said Krišto.

She added that today's meeting sends a strong message from BiH about its readiness for cooperation and progress in the EU accession process.

She emphasized that the process of integration into the EU requires active participation of political representatives in the institutions of BiH, which is why it is crucial to enable space for dialogue and agreement, and for decision-making in the institutions of BiH, in order to achieve progress on the EU path and improve the stability and prosperity of our country.

Krišto announced that BiH's next steps on the EU path will be based on dialogue, compromise, and mutual respect, and that the European Commission expects a swift evaluation of BiH's Integration Program, as feedback is extremely important for the preparation of the next phase of bilateral screening of legislative alignment with the EU acquis.

"The sooner we receive this feedback, the more prepared we will be for the next steps in the integration process," Krišto stated, adding that representatives of BiH institutions are working intensively to fulfill all remaining obligations.