The Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Bosnia and Herzegovina/EU Special Representative, Ambassador Peter Sorensen, together with Ambassador of France, Roland Gilles, and Head of the Diplomatic Bureau of Belgium, Jean-Pierre Biebuyck, visited Odzak and Orasje on Monday, 16 September 2013.
Ambassador Sorensen and EU diplomats met with the mayors of Odzak and Orasje, Hajrudin Hadzidedic and Djuro Topic, as well as with the officials of the Posavina Canton – Prime Minister, Marijan Orsolic, and the Canton Assembly Deputy Speaker, Anes Osmanovic.
Considering that the European Union recognises the valuable role of municipal and cantonal authorities in the process of EU integration, topics discussed during the visit were economic development, preparations for upcoming census and tourism.
“We know that agriculture is the strongest point of the Posavina Canton economy. That is why I am sure that the news that BiH has lost 5 million euro for agriculture projects is disappointing to all of us. The IPA Monitoring Committee gave BiH time until 1 October to come to an agreement regarding 5 other projects (total value 9 million euro). Unless BiH establishes an efficient and effective EU coordination mechanism, its citizens may not be able to benefit from the next ‘phase’ of EU funding. Additionally, citizens of the Posavina Canton live on the border with Croatia. The EU is ready to discuss all issues related to the new reality; EU-BiH shared border, border crossings, BiH exports, etc. but cannot get around the fact that BiH must do its part in full”, said Ambassador Sorensen on the occasion.
Ambassador Sorensen and EU diplomats also visited the Art Gallery “ABONOS”, which is a part of the common heritage tourism route established under the cross-border cooperation project “VIOR” (Vinkovci and Orasje Heritage Tourism Project) funded by the EU IPA II with around 113,000 EUR.
