prijava
BRUSSELS, December 23 (FENA) – The fact is that Europe, at the start of the new European Commission's work, finds itself in a challenging situation, facing a range of security, financial, and economic challenges. However, it is also a fact that in Brussels there is a renewed awareness that EU enlargement is the best investment in European security and prosperity. For this reason, and in the context of an ever more dynamic geopolitical transformation, the enlargement process has gained new momentum, said Karlo Ressler, Croatian member of the European Parliament (HDZ/EPP), in an interview with FENA.
Ressler said that it is now up to Bosnia and Herzegovina, above all, to independently, with its efforts and a serious approach, seize the opportunities presented to it. Both the European Parliament and Croatia will continue to be strong supporters in this process.
He assessed that in the year coming to a close, the process of Bosnia and Herzegovina's closer integration with the European Union has gained new dynamics.
''The growing awareness within the European Union of the geopolitical importance of faster economic and social integration of Southeast Europe has prompted the establishment of a unified investment-reform package worth six billion euros in grants and loans. The Western Balkans growth plan thus has the potential to be a decisive factor in bringing the six countries of the region closer to the European Union,'' Ressler stated.
In March, the European Council made the decision to open accession negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the beginning of the year and the coming weeks are now, according to Ressler, crucial for political agreements within the country that will enable the adoption of the negotiation framework and the opening of the first intergovernmental conference, thus marking the real beginning of the accession negotiations.
''That is why it was important for the Bill on Border Control and the Bill on Personal Data Protection to be adopted by the Council of Ministers last week. The year ahead of BiH presents an opportunity for continuing necessary reforms, significant progress in the accession negotiations, and creating an even healthier social, political, and economic environment. Unfortunately, BiH is still the only one of the six so-called Western Balkan countries that has not presented its Reform Agenda, a clear overview of the national reform and investment plan. The agreement is necessary for BiH to gain access to the fund of more than one billion euros, as well as to receive a real boost for accelerating structural changes that will strengthen the country and bring tangible benefits to the citizens from the European integration process,” emphasized the Croatian MEP in an interview with FENA.
He reminded that for Croatia, EU funds have been a key instrument for investment and modernization of the country for years.
''There is no reason why this should not be the case for Bosnia and Herzegovina. The idea of accelerated integration with access to funding conditioned by progress in reforms should contribute to the creation of new jobs, economic growth, and better public services. Therefore, it is important to reach compromises as soon as possible on the remaining open issues, while respecting all the specifics of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s institutional structure. Changes to the electoral legislation and limited constitutional reforms will be necessary to ensure the equality of the three constituent peoples and prevent any possibility of discrimination in the general elections in 2026,'' concluded Karlo Ressler.
(FENA) A. B.
