Sarajevo – Italy and Bosnia discuss progress towards EU membership

Italian Ambassador to Bosnia-Herzegovina, Ruggero Corrias, recently met Deputy President of Bosnia’s Chamber of Deputies, Sefik Džaferović. During the meeting, they exchanged views on the country’s path to EU membership, stressing the need for Bosnia-Herzegovina to press ahead in its efforts to align with European standards also after submitting a formal application for EU membership. Corrias and Džaferović then talked about cooperation between the parliaments of their respective countries, which could be further strengthened by the conclusion of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) proposed by Italy’s President of the Chamber of Deputies Laura Boldrini to Džaferović, on the occasion of her visit to Bosnia last July. “Vice President of the Parliament Džaferović agreed that reforms and coordination on EU matters should continue also after submitting the application for EU membership,” said Ambassador Corrias. “It is the starting point of a journey that will gradually measure the political will of Bosnia-Herzegovina to step up its path of integration. Italy remains an essential partner in this effort and  Džaferović and I firmly believe that parliamentary cooperation is functional to the advancement of the process,” Ambassador Corrias concluded.