Buzek op bezoek in Bosnië en Herzegovina (en)

Met dank overgenomen van M. (Martin) Schulz i, gepubliceerd op vrijdag 4 november 2011.

After meeting the leaders of Bosnia and Herzegovina's Parliamentary Assembly and the Presidency of the country, European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek i stated:

"Bosnia and Herzegovina [BiH] is not at the periphery of Europe, it is at the heart of Europe. The gates of the EU are open, but it is up to the country to choose to enter. The EU's motto is united in diversity: there is no reason why this cannot apply to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

I regret that this year BiH made only limited progress on its path towards the EU due to continued political stalemate. But there is still time for positive change ahead of the December European Council, which will give a final assessment on the country's achievements this year.

Things can change very quickly for the better. We have seen how cooperation can lead to tangible results, as with visa liberalisation. Future EU membership is a great challenge, but also an unprecedented opportunity.

The political leadership knows what are the first necessary steps: the implementation of the ruling of the European Court of Human Rights, the adoption of centralised state-aid law and the state-level census law. Those objectives cannot realistically be met without the formation of a Council of Ministers.

I urge Bosnia and Herzegovina to set aside internal quarrels and work instead towards a mutually beneficial future. This opportunity must be seized by all sides within the country.

Tomorrow I will travel to Srebrenica to pay tribute to the victims of one of the greatest tragedies in recent European history. Remembering the atrocity, we must make sure it will never be repeated. This is why reconciliation is vital."

Note to editors:

TV footage of the visit of the President will be available in broadcast and web quality on Europe by Satellite at the following link:

http://ec.europa.eu/avservices/ebs/schedule.cfm?sitelang=en&page=3&institution=0&date=11/04/2011

Photos will be available for download at the following link:

http://audiovisual.europarl.europa.eu/

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