During their meeting with Bosnia-Herzegovina presidency member Bakir Izetbegovic on Thursday 5 October, the EU ambassador to Bosnia-Herzegovina, Lars-Gunnar Wigemark, and US ambassador to the country, Maureen Cormack, urged Bosnia-Herzegovina to relaunch it currently blocked economic reforms and to adopt legislation to unlock over €500 million in international loans and IMF money.
Political differences have prevented the adoption of legislation on fuel tax, which is necessary in order to unlock the transport infrastructure financing.
The two ambassadors and Izetbegovic "agreed on the urgent need to address the excise package, and unlock €500 million of investments in Bosnia-Herzegovina’s infrastructure", the EU delegation stated in a press release. "The European Union and the United States support constructive efforts to address differences and make progress on the EU path", the ambassadors stated, underling "the need for renewed momentum on the Euro-Atlantic path, implementing reform commitments, and improving the rule of law".
While they highlighted the responsibility of all Bosnia-Herzegovina's politicians to ensure that the 2018 elections take place smoothly and that institutions are formed in a timely manner, the EU delegation said that Izetbegovic is committed to an open and productive dialogue with other political leaders. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)