Speech by Commissioner Marta Kos to the BiH Parliamentary Assembly

(Check against delivery)

“We are determined not to become another “lost” generation deprived of the chance to see their country attain full membership within the span of their professional careers.” 

Honourable members, dear chairman, dear Ambassadors. 

Three weeks ago, I met a group of young politicians from all parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina at the Bled Strategic Forum in Slovenia. They spent a week together discussing the future of their country. At the end, they jointly adopted a text. 

The sentence with which I have just started my speech comes from that document. 

“We are determined not to become another “lost” generation”. This sentence has stayed with me.

Because it speaks to the aspirations and dreams of those young people. 

I was also very moved when a young man from the Republika Srpska spoke to me and said “Marta, young Serbs also want to go to the EU.”  

Those young politicians were keenly aware of the complicated constitutional and institutional reality of their country. They were realistic, yet determined in their search for a better future for Bosnia and Herzegovina.

During the last two days I have spoken to many more people in different parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina. I came to listen and learn what people expect from us - the EU and you, their elected leaders. 

In Brus, I met Mayor Gašanović who told me about building a community, and how he sees the future of that community in the EU.  

I also joined the local mountain rescue team for a walk. They showed me an ambulance they received from the EU. Some of those people became heroes in Turkey two years ago. They went there to save lives after the earthquake. 

In Visoko, I joined the European Week of Sports and talked with mayor Ganić and municipal councillors about how to keep young people engaged locally. 

In Vareš, I met young people and local civil society organisations. I saw a strong community. A young man, Robert, who returned from Mostar to open a gym and give opportunities to children. He told me “My heart has brought me back to Vareš”. Unfortunately, I could not meet the mayor who has done so much for bringing people together.

Again and again, people told me about problems their communities are facing. Of people leaving. They spoke of friends, children, and grandchildren now living in Germany, Austria, Sweden, or Slovenia. 

Too many feel they have no choice but to leave this beautiful country to find opportunities elsewhere. They feel held back. 

By a lack of jobs and low wages, by poor education, and an uneven healthcare system. 

And by political stagnation, corruption, and the absence of a vision for a better future. 

One young woman, a medical student, told me: “I am staying. I want to see change.  I want to see a strong Bosnia and Herzegovina in the European Union.”

We share this vision for your future. The EU wants you. You are part of the European family!

We did a survey of European citizens this year. A majority wants to see the European Union grow bigger.  

In Austria, Croatia, and in Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina enjoys the highest support among all our candidate countries. 

Europeans want Bosnia and Herzegovina inside the EU. And your people want to join. 67% said they would vote in favour of EU membership. Even in the Republika Srpska 50% would. 

Let’s work together and take Bosnia and Herzegovina forward. This is my mandate.

I will be your strongest advocate in Brussels and in European capitals. 

But you need to help me to help you. 

We have seen this country moving forward. When there is political will, things are possible. You achieved visa-liberalisation. You achieved candidate Status. 

Republika Srpska has contributed to those moves towards the EU. I listen and understand some of the fears of the Serbs in the Republika Srpska, but you should resolve them here in this house, not by adopting initiatives in the Republika Srpska entity that are undermining the rule of law and the constitutional legal order of the country. We would like to see Republika Srpska engaged again on the EU integration process, for Bosnia and Herzegovina to move forward towards his future in the EU.

The Growth Plan can help to deliver that.

Your domestic institutions, such as the Central Electoral Commission and the Constitutional Court, have stepped up. Court decisions must be respected and implemented. And is so for absolutely everyone. 

You cannot afford to lose any more time.

The citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina can certainly not wait until the general elections of October 2026. 

To deliver on the EU aspiration of the people of this country, your political energy of needs to be re-directed back to reforms. 

Political passivity has consequences. You are missing out on opportunities to transform your country.

Nowhere is this more evident than with the EU Growth Plan. In total, we have 1 billion EUR ready to invest in Bosnia and Herzegovina. To build roads, to provide for cheaper energy, and better and faster internet. This offer is unprecedented. 

But this funding depends on reforms. And I am still missing your Reform Agenda. And I cannot understand.

Because of this delay, we had to cut 10% of that funding in summer. If the Reform Agenda is not submitted by 30 September, another 10% will be cut. This money will go to those in the region who deliver. 

This is not what we want!

Can Bosnia and Herzegovina really afford to lose €200 million – that is 400m convertible marks? 

Do you know how many roads and railways could be built with that money? Or how many schools could be renovated? 

With 400m convertible marks we could renovate one third of all secondary schools in this country.

This money will be spent on roads, railway and schools. But unfortunately not here in BiH. In other parts of the region. Because that is where the money will be redirected. 

And what about the other benefits of the Growth Plan? 

What about SEPA? The possibility to send money from the EU to Bosnia and Herzegovina without fee? Albanians and Montenegrin will have that as of January. 

A company in Banja Luka will still pay fees, a company in Podgorica will no longer.  

What about free roaming?

Yesterday, I met Armina, a young woman. She told me about her grandfather in Munich. Why should she continue to pay high fees when she calls him? 

This is something we no longer do in the EU. Why should you? 

The people I met in the last two days want and better life. The Growth Plan can deliver that. 

These people need you to act.

I would like to advance much faster with your membership negotiations. 

We officially started the accession process in March of last year. But that is as far as we got. We could not yet adopt the negotiating framework.

The Republic of Moldova and Ukraine started the accession process around the same time as you. Moldova finished the screening this week. On Monday, I will go to Ukraine to celebrate their success. 

Bosnia and Herzegovina has not even started. 

Let’s work together so you don’t lose any more time.

I extend my hand, and Commission’s hand, to work together on the future of your country in the EU. 

It is high time you give us a counterpart. We need you to appoint a chief negotiator! 

I call on all those who want to advance the EU agenda to join forces. You know what you need to do.

Adopt a new Law on the Courts, and a new Law on the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council, fully in line with EU standards. This can still be done this year. 

This is what it takes so we can move towards opening accession negotiations.

This Parliament needs to show ownership. It cannot be without you. It needs to be the place where divergent views are channelled into common solutions. 

Different parties, different politics, yes! But with one shared vision. We can have different opinions, but we need to know what is greater and common goal. And with dialogue and respect.

Because anyone who advocates violence must be condemned. Peace is the most precious thing we have. You know that best. And EU is also project of peace. 

Progress on the EU path is the best way to deliver on the dreams and aspirations of the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Of the many fantastic and hard-working people who want to build a better future here in this beautiful country. The accession process is your chance to address the systemic deficits that hold your country back. 

Through the screening process we can together identify the anomalies that are in your system. So we can build a modern and functional state, without international supervision The sooner you advance on the EU integration path, the sooner the international supervision will be phased out. 

Such as state would also safeguard the autonomy of all people, as set out in your constitution, and provide for a common future within the EU family. 

Let’s use the EU path to build something more sustainable, something that reflects the hopes of so many people in this country.

And let’s be honest. There is no alternative path for Bosnia and Herzegovina to peace and stability. You are Europe! 

And you are already so deeply integrated. You export  from BiH to EU is 73%, to Russia 0.6%. This means it is 120 times more to the European Union, than to Russia. And these numbers will grow. After Croatia joined the EU, trade between Slovenia and Croatia increased by 380%. This brings prosperity. 

What the EU offers is peace, freedom, security and a strong economy, that contributes to the common European future. 

I have often called it one of our continent’s saddest moments that - except for Slovenia and Croatia - we have failed to integrate the Western Balkans earlier. 

But European integration moves in waves. And the next set of new Member States is getting ready. 

There is movement in the Western Balkans. Montenegro is already busy closing chapters. And only last week I hosted the Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama in Brussels to open another cluster. Both countries are on track to close negotiations in the coming one or two years. 

Do not miss that next wave. 

Let us roll up our sleeves and work together to make the dream of a united Europe come true.

Once we do that I will climb your highest mountain, the Maglić, symbolising the obstacles we have overcome together. And my wish is for us to go together, so we need to begin training.

Every member of this Assembly, whether they are Bosniak, Croat, Serb or Others, has a role in shaping your nation’s future. Every citizen, be they Serbs, Croats, Bosniaks or Others, need to work on the future of this country.

Let’s make sure that those young people from Brus, Visoko and Vareš and other parts of your country will not be deprived of the dream of EU membership but instead be remembered as the generation that brought their country home to Europe. 

Because it is where you belong. 

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