Chairman Tegeltija Talks with EU Commissioner for Enlargement Varhelyi

Chairman of the Council of Ministers of BIH Zoran Tegeltija talked today via video-link with European Commissioner for Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi. The meeting discussed the current developments in BIH caused by Covid-19 pandemics, as well as economic and political developments in the country and region, in the light of the European Integrations.

Chairman Tegeltija expressed his gratitude for the support the European Union extended to BIH in fight against coronavirus pandemics, and stressed the importance of continuous engagement of the EU in strengthening political and economic links in the Western Balkans region.

Chairman Tegeltija pointed at the importance of both regional and multilateral cooperation, as well as at a need of increased solidarity and common anti-pandemics action, underlining that no country is safe and protected from the pandemics outbreak, loss of human lives and devastating economic consequences.

The meeting jointly pointed at a necessity of as urgent as possible finalisation of negotiations on macro-financial support of the European Commission. On this occasion, the European Enlargement Commissioner expressed the EU readiness for additional support to the health sector in BIH, in accordance to declared needs, and briefed the Chairman of the Council of Ministers on an economic and investment plan for the Western Balkans to be presented by the European Commission this autumn, aimed at extending a long-term support to economic recovery and approximation of the region to the European Union.

The plan is supposed to accelerate growth and create jobs in the region, which is a part of efforts for recovery from the pandemics, and will focus at infrastructure projects from different areas, important to the citizens, such as energy, transport, environmental protection etc.

Speaking of the European way of BIH, Chairman Tegeltija said that the focus of the Council of Ministers, despite consequences of the Covid-19 pandemics,  is directed to the prospects of attaining the candidate status and opening of accession negotiations on the EU membership.

The Chairman of the Council of Ministers stressed an active approach of the Council of Ministers to the issue of the European integrations matters, saying that the key to the European integrations process is based on constitutional competences of all-level authorities and with a full compliance to the Dayton Agreement.

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