The Speakers of the BiH Parliaments signed a Joint Statement supporting the Priority Plan for Parliaments of BiH for accelerating the European integration process

The highest political forum of the BiH parliamentary cooperation mechanism, the Conference of Speakers convened in Mostar on 5th February 2021 to discuss the Priority Plan for Parliaments of BiH accelerating the EU integration process, prepared by the Twinning Project, and to sign the Joint Statement on the support of the Priority Plan for Parliaments for accelerating the European integration process aiming at contributing to the implementation of the 14 priorities from the opinion on BiH’s application for EU membership.

The highest of dignitaries of cooperating BiH Parliaments, the Head of the EU Delegation and EU Special Representative, further Ambassadors of the project implementing EU Member States addressed the conference which was chaired by Ms Borjana Krišto, Speaker of the PABiH House of Representatives:
Mr Bakir Izetbegović, Deputy Speaker of PABiH HoP
Mr Dragan Čović, Deputy Speaker of the PABiH HoP
Mr Denis Zvizdić, Deputy Speaker of the PABiH HoR
Mr Tomislav Martinović, Speaker of the PFBiH HoP
Mr Mirsad Zaimović, Speaker of the PFBiH HoR
Mr Mladen Bošković, Deputy Speaker of the PFBiH HoR
Mr Denis Šulić, Deputy Speaker of NARS
Mr Milan Petković, Deputy Speaker of NARS
Mr Siniša Milić, Speaker of BDA
Mr Johann Sattler, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to BiH / EUSR
Mr Krisztián Pósa, Ambassador of Hungary to BiH
Ms Ulrike Hartmann, Ambassador of Austria to BiH
Mr Ivan Sabolić, Ambassador of Croatia to BiH

The recommendations of the first Twinning Project ‘Enhancing the role of parliaments in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the EU integration context’ were incorporated into EU integration Action Plans customized for each Beneficiary Parliament. Since their adoption, January 2016 they serve as detailed roadmaps to guide and enhance their activities in the EU integration process, and each BiH Parliament made efforts to implement the recommendations.
After the first Opinion of the European Commission on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s application for membership of the European Union of May 2019, and the Council of the European Union officially endorsed Commission’s proposal for a renewed approach and revised methodology of the enlargement process of March 2020, it is more crucial than ever that Parliaments accelerate their preparation to enable themselves to fulfil the multiplying tasks related to the EU integration process.  

The implementation of the recommendations of the above-mentioned Action Plans therefore remains indispensable. In addition, as a new strategic document, the Priority Plan for Parliaments intends to address the most urging comprehensive tasks in key areas of parliamentary functioning to make the BiH Parliaments – as key actors – capable to provide strategic guidance of the EU integration process of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This way, the Priority Plan contributes to the timely and efficient preparation of BiH Parliaments for the upcoming challenges to be met, especially having in mind the objective to obtain candidate country status for BiH.

By signing the Joint Statement on the support of the Priority Plan, the Speakers and Deputy Speakers of the four BiH Parliaments agreed on the Priority Plan for Parliaments of BiH for accelerating the European integration process, expressed their commitment to take measures for the implementation of the Priority Plan considering it to be of great importance on the EU integration path of BiH, and committed themselves to submit by the end of February 2021 the Priority Plan to their own Chamber/Assembly as it is defined in their internal regulations.