ZENICA, February 28 (FENA) - Head of the EU Delegation in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the EU Special Representative, Ambassador Johann Sattler, is visiting the Zenica-Doboj Canton (ZDC), where he held a meeting with Prime Minister Amra Mehmedić and members of the working presidency of the ZDC Assembly and Speaker Dejan Kovačević.
As part of the political dialogue entitled "Progress is within reach", Sattler emphasized that this is only the first in a series of planned visits to local communities throughout BiH, which aim to "confirm the commitment of the EU to the European path of BiH and emphasize the message that progress on that path is within reach hands".
The visit, he added, followed the General Elections and granting of candidate status to BiH in December 2022, which is "an important milestone on that path for BiH".
“ZDC was among the first to form the government and it was natural that we should visit Zenica first. In the talks with the Prime Minister and the Speaker of the ZDC Assembly, we had a constructive and positive discussion,” said Sattler.
He also mentioned the issue of a new heating source for the Cantonal Hospital in Zenica. It is a joint project of the EBRD and the EU, in which he was also involved, and on which activities are also ongoing.
Sattler said that BiH had the obligation to create an Action Plan for the energy transition from coal to renewable energy sources, which was submitted to the EU and is now being considered and analyzed. He expressed his belief that the mentioned plan "will receive a positive evaluation and pass the ratification process" and that, at the end of next month, the disbursements of funds intended for BiH will begin.
Prime Minister Mehmedić emphasized that this was a working meeting and the first of its kind during which a European delegation visited that canton in this convocation of the ZDC Government.
“These are their activities, with which they try to bring the EU closer to the new assemblies, the new governments that were constituted this year, that is, last year. We had a very useful meeting and talked about current topics and projects that are financed directly from EU funds. Of course, through different programs,” said Mehmedić.
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