The Delegation of the European Commission to Bosnia and Herzegovina welcomes the approval of the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) by the House of Representatives of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly.

This approval represents a major step forward in the ratification this important regional trade agreement. It also indicates the BiH commitment to further economic and trade integration within the region on the path to European integration. It is vital that the ratification of CEFTA is concluded before the First Ministerial Meeting of the Joint Committee of CEFTA on 28 September 2007, otherwise Bosnia and Herzegovina will not participate in major decisions defining the functioning, funding, procedural and operational aspects of the CEFTA institutions.

Regional integration within the CEFTA is a process complementary to the European integration and is thus a proven instrument for the new CEFTA members to advance their relations in the context of the European integration process.