Flood-affected countries will feel EU solidarity regardless of status

Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina Zlatko Lagumdžija participated in a conference dedicated to the Western Balkans held today in Vienna.

Lagumdžija, at a trilateral meeting with the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Austria, Sebastian Kurz, and the Republic of Serbia, Ivica Dačić, discussed the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia following the catastrophic floods that hit our two countries.

During the meeting, Minister Kurz informed Ministers Lagumdžija and Dačić that the Austrian government decided to donate one million euros in emergency aid for Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, with an announcement that Austria will continue to help BiH and Serbia through announced donor conferences for assistance in remedying the consequences of the floods.

Lagumdžija participated with regional foreign ministers in a working meeting organized by European Commissioner for Enlargement Štefan Füle, during which concrete activities were discussed regarding the implementation of the European Commission's new approach to the Western Balkan countries, with an emphasis on remedying the consequences of the catastrophic floods that hit BiH.

On that occasion, Commissioner Füle emphasized that flood-affected countries will be treated equally and will feel European solidarity, regardless of whether they have membership status, candidate status, or neither, as is the case with BiH, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of BiH, as reported by Patria.

Lagumdžija invited the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Italy, Federica Mogherini, to visit Sarajevo when Italy assumes the presidency of the European Union at the beginning of next month. The interlocutors agreed that during the Italian presidency, BiH should be in the focus of EU priorities, both because of the upcoming process of reconstruction and rehabilitation of the country after the catastrophic floods, in which the EU's leadership role is expected, and in light of the April conclusions of the EU Foreign Affairs Council, through concrete economic and judicial reforms, as well as preparations for serious constitutional reforms.

In his address to the participants of the conference on the Western Balkans, Lagumdžija expressed gratitude to the European Commission, neighboring countries, and all countries sending aid to the flooded areas of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The heaviest loss in the floods are the lost human lives; according to data from the Ministry of Security of BiH, 21 people died, and two are listed as missing. Still, one quarter of BiH is under water, and about one million people live in the affected area.

- The solidarity shown during this severe natural disaster among the countries in the region should be used as a major turning point that would accelerate our joint efforts towards EU accession - said Lagumdžija, as reported by NAP.

It was once again emphasized that EU experts, the World Bank, and UNDP are working on assessments of the damage caused by the floods, after which a donor conference will follow, because BiH alone, without the help of the international community, cannot remedy the enormous flood damage inflicted on the population, infrastructure facilities, public sector facilities, economic entities...

- The confirmation by the European Commission at the meeting in Thessaloniki on May 9, 2014, that it will allocate an additional one billion euros for the Western Balkan countries in the next five-year period, and in cooperation with other financial institutions an additional ten billion euros for economic and infrastructure projects, is the best incentive for regional cooperation. After the catastrophic floods that hit Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Croatia, I am sure that we will spend part of these European Commission funds in the next five years on regional projects, both for remedying the consequences of the floods and for preventing natural disasters such as floods, droughts, and forest fires - emphasized Lagumdžija.

Lagumdžija emphasized that EU integration is the main priority of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and EU membership is the driving force for BiH to undertake the necessary reforms to get closer to that goal.

- I believe that the strengthening of forces opposing EU enlargement, which we had the opportunity to see in last month's elections for the European Parliament, will not affect the enlargement process, which was clearly confirmed during the Thessaloniki Summit in 2003 and the EU/Western Balkans ministerial conference held at the beginning of May this year in Thessaloniki. Today's conference is yet another confirmation of this stance - emphasized Lagumdžija, adding that EU enlargement brings democracy, stability, and economic prosperity, and in light of recent events in Eastern Europe, enlargement must be a priority.

Lagumdžija once again reiterated that BiH should work on key economic and social reforms, the rule of law, and the fight against corruption and organized crime. On the other track are broader structural and constitutional reforms aimed at ensuring a more functional state, including the implementation of the European Court of Human Rights judgment in the "Sejdić-Finci" case, which should be initiated after the October elections with the full involvement of key actors of the international community, according to the statement, as reported by NAP.