Steinmeier in Sarajevo Today: European Union's New Approach

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier will visit Bosnia and Herzegovina today for the first time since taking office last year, reports the BH News Agency Patria (NAP). Steinmeier is arriving in the afternoon to attend the Forum for Prosperity and Employment organized by the European Union, in light of efforts to change the focus and strategy of the Union's actions in BiH.

The arrival of the German head of diplomacy is a great support for the new approach that focuses on the economy and development. Steinmeier will address the gathering, which will also be attended by Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan and BiH state officials, and afterwards have a bilateral meeting with the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of BiH.

Otherwise, Steinmeier is one of the most influential European politicians overall. He is the leader of the German socialists, the second strongest political party which, after last year's elections, formed a grand coalition with Angela Merkel's party, thus further strengthening German influence in Europe.

As the Patria agency has learned, his arrival confirms that Berlin intends, in coordination with Washington, to take a more significant role in shaping the European, and thus the international community's policy in BiH.