Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn will start a two-day trip to the Western Balkans on Thursday. He will be in Sarajevo and Belgrade on the 28th and 29th of March.
In Sarajevo, Commissioner Hahn will discuss the state of play of the socio-economic reforms that the country committed to undertake to move forward on its EU path. The Commission is currently working on the Opinion on the merits of the country’s application for EU membership to present to EU Member States, and advancing on the socio-economic agenda is crucial in particular as this brings direct benefits to the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the European Commission website states.
The Commissioner will start the day meeting with representatives of civil society organisations working on environment issues and will then meet with political authorities including the Members of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Chairman of the Council of Ministers, as well as the representatives of different political parties.
In Belgrade on Thursday and Friday, Commissioner Hahn will reiterate the urgent need of a cross-party dialogue and of advancing on democratic governance and the rule of law, for the benefit of the society and in order to move Serbia forward on its EU accession path. In Serbia, Commissioner Hahn will be appointed as Ambassador of the Youth Sport Games.
Commissioner Hahn will meet with the Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, Prime Minister Ana Brnabić, as well as with opposition leaders of Serbia. He will also attend the opening of the Golubac Fortress alongside the Serbian President and Prime Minister. The EU has been the main contributor to the reconstruction of the fortress – one of Serbia’s most impressive cultural heritage gems on the Danube. The EU values culture and is a major supporter of perserving Serbia’s cultural heritage, which also contributes to local job creation and economic growth.
