“Enlargement towards the Balkans will be a central theme of the Italian Presidency of the European Union”. The point was confirmed by the Italian Ambassador in Sarajevo, Ruggero Corrias, at the close of his meeting with the Croatian member of the tripartite Presidency of Bosnia Herzegovina, Zeljko Komsic. The meeting took place in the run-up to Foreign Minister Federica Mogherini’s visit to Bosnia later in July 2014, during a mission that will encompass all the capital cities of the Western Balkans.
July will see donors’ conference and mission by Minister Mogherini
“Europe will help Bosnia to recover from the floods. But it is only through structural reforms that the country will be able to revitalise its economy, create jobs and speed up the process of integration with the Euro-Atlantic institutions”, continued Ambassador Corrias.
The discussion between Ambassador Corrias and President Komsic focused on help for Bosnia’s reconstruction in the wake of the floods of May 2014 and on the donors’ conference taking place in Brussels in mid-July. It also touched on the need for the “Compact for Growth and Jobs” structural reform plan launched by the European Union to remain high on the Bosnian leadership’s agenda, including after the October elections. Only with these reforms will the country be able to follow a virtuous road to further integration with the Euro-Atlantic institutions.
During the meeting, Ambassador Corrias and Mr. Komsic also addressed bilateral issues and candidacies of mutual interest, such as Italy’s for the United Nations Security Council. At the end of their talk, President Komsic said he was “confident in the results of the Italian Presidency”, in the knowledge that Bosnia too must play its part in its European integration process. He also underscored the strong bonds of friendship linking Italy and his country.
