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SARAJEVO, June 16 (FENA) - After obtaining candidate status for membership in the European Union (EU), Bosnia and Herzegovina faces numerous obligations that this process entails, and the top priority is strengthening the capacity of the BiH judiciary and ensuring the prerequisites for achieving progress on the rule of law.
This was highlighted today on the eve of a meeting organized in Sarajevo on the occasion of the launch of the EU4Justice project - phase II entitled "Support to Judicial Professionalism and the Fight against Organized Crime and Corruption in Bosnia and Herzegovina".
Head of the EU Delegation in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the EU's Special Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ambassador Johann Sattler, stated that the rule of law was and remains the top priority on the path of Bosnia and Herzegovina's approach to membership in the European Union.
In this context, he confirmed the commitment of the European Union to Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region for which, as he said, the change in the geopolitical moment, i.e. the war in Ukraine, 'opened another window', which influenced additional rapprochement with partners, i.e. the region of the Western Balkans.
Ambassador of the Republic of France to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Christine Toudic, also welcomed the launch of a new phase of the project to support the judiciary in BiH, underlining that the independence, impartiality and integrity of judicial institutions are the basis of the rule of law in democratic countries, and thus of the process of integration of BiH into the EU.
"An integrated and transparent judiciary is one of the most significant pillars of citizens' trust in their institutions and those who manage them," she specified.
Ambassador Toudic expressed her expectation that the latest project will contribute to real progress in the field of rule of law and justice through cooperation with BiH partners, stressing that France is determined to support these and such efforts.
President of the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina (HJPC BiH), Halil Lagumdžija, stressed the importance of the new phase of the project and EU support and expressed expectation that the second phase will contribute to the strengthening of all segments of the judiciary, including strengthening the role of the Judicial Integrity Department.
As a particularly important part of the project, Lagumdžija assessed the steps that need to be taken in terms of improving the procedures/prosecution of cases of organized crime and corruption, with a focus on financial investigations and the institute of confiscation of property acquired through the commission of criminal acts.
As part of its support to the rule of law sector in BiH, the European Union allocated 4.5 million euros for the implementation of the mentioned project.
The new EU4Justice project - Phase II is implemented by a consortium consisting of three organizations, namely - Expertize France (EF) from France, the German Foundation for International Legal Assistance - IRZ and the International and Ibero-American Foundation for Administration and Public Policies - FIIAP.
(FENA) A. B.
