On Thursday, the EU-Bosnia and Herzegovina Stabilisation and Association Parliamentary Committee met for the first time after more than five years.
The Co-Chairs of the EU-Bosnia and Herzegovina Stabilisation and Association Parliamentary Committee urged all parties in Bosnia and Herzegovina to refrain from divisive discourse and be guided by the European Union motto ‘United in diversity’. “The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated existing problems in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as it has in other countries. More than ever, parliaments should be able to fully exercise their powers of oversight of the executive”, said Co-Chairs Nebojša Radmanović (Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina) and Romeo Franz, (Greens, Germany) (European Parliament) in the Joint Statement issued after the EU-Bosnia and Herzegovina Stabilisation and Association Parliamentary Committee met. The debate mainly focused on issues related to the 14 key priorities set by the Commission that Bosnia and Herzegovina must implement as part of its application for EU membership.
The EU-Bosnia and Herzegovina Stabilisation and Association Parliamentary Committee (SAPC) is a forum for Members of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina and of the European Parliament to meet at regular intervals and exchange views, notably on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s EU integration process. It is established under the EU’s Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is the legal basis for relations between the two parties, preparing Bosnia and Herzegovina for future EU membership.