Sarajevo (Fena) – The Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina (PSBiH) held a Conference of Parliamentary Committees for European Integration/affairs of countries involved in the stabilization and association process in Southeast Europe (COSAP) during the past week, organized by the Joint Commission for European Integration of PSBiH with the support of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) and the German GIZ.
Chairman of the Joint Commission of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH for European Integration Zdenko Ćosić, after the conclusion of the conference of parliamentary committees for European integration of countries involved in the stabilization and association process in Southeast Europe, stated to reporters that one of the panels discussed the geostrategic impact on joining the European Union, another economic integration, and the third focused on the role of parliaments and parliamentary cooperation.
According to Ćosić, the discussions were generally substantive and common positions were reached on most issues, but not regarding the joint statement.
In response to a journalist’s question about what the dilemma was, he reminded that initiatives to amend the Rules of Procedure of the committee, adopted back when Serbia and Montenegro were one state and when Croatia was not in the European Union, had already been initiated since the session in Albania, some countries have since changed their names, and among other things, the proposal from the Albanian delegation was “to define the status of Kosovo”.
– We did not have consensus on whether Kosovo should be mentioned as a country in today’s joint statement. The reasons are well known – on one hand, we as the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina have not recognized Kosovo as an independent state, and on the other, the Republic of Serbia was against it, and here we are, we have what we have – said Ćosić.
What was achieved in absolute consensus at today’s conference, in the context of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s accession to the European Union, is that the dynamics regarding accession should be intensified.
Some participants at the meeting stated, however, that sometimes only empty promises come from the European Union, which produces a certain rise in euroskepticism; however, according to Ćosić, it should also be said that the European Union demands something more from us than promises “so I personally quoted Ms. Ursula von der Leyen who stated in Belgrade about ten days ago that it is time to move from words to action”.
– If all political actors have sincere intentions and goodwill, the European Commission’s report on progress should be our guide, our roadmap that we should follow to finally make an important step forward and start with the first ministerial conference, which would mean negotiations for joining the European Union – Ćosić also stated in a statement to reporters.
Participants of the conference included representatives of the parliaments of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, as well as guests from the parliaments of Georgia and Turkey, members of the diplomatic corps in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Delegation of the European Union in BiH, as well as experts from the RCC and the German GIZ.
During the discussion, parliamentarians from COSAP member countries emphasized the need to accelerate the process of European integration for all countries in the region, as well as that no one, given the current geopolitical context, should be excluded from that process.
The need to strengthen regional inter-parliamentary cooperation with the aim of enhancing oversight over the executive authorities, especially in the process of European integration, as well as preparing all countries in the region for membership in the European Union, was emphasized.
Gratitude was expressed to the host for the successful organization of the Conference and support was expressed to the Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia as the next chair of COSAP. (21.11.)
