On Thursday 10 April 2008, 11th Reform Process Monitoring meeting took place in Mostar. The meeting agenda included issues such as: trade, small and medium enterprises (SME), agriculture and fisheries, taxation and customs. At the press conference Mr. Jose-Luis Sanchez Alegre, Deputy Head of Unit for Albania and BiH in the EC Directorate General for Enlargement and Mr. Osman Topčagić, Director of the Directorate for European Integration of BiH, presented main conclusions related to the areas covered in the morning session – trade and small and medium enterprises.
Having repeated the importance of today’s meeting as a tool for measuring the progress that country made towards the EU integration, Mr. Sanchez Alegre announced that EC had just started preparing 2008 Progress Report for BiH. The important message he sent to BiH authorities was that possible progress done before the deadlines for the preparation of this report can be very beneficial in the overall assessment of BiH.
Mr. Sanchez-Alegre stressed that BiH needed refocusing on overall reform process in the EU integration process, not only in the areas of police reform, public broadcasting system and cooperation with ICTY. As he noted, BiH had to devote all its energy to tackling all the requirements that Stabilisation and Association Agreement entailed in order to be able to achieve further progress towards EU in due time. I can assure you that EC is ready to support BiH in this endeavour and that we are certainly ready to intensify our dialogue in order to work together to achieve these common objectives, Mr. Sanchez-Alegre concluded his address.
Referring to the relevance of these meetings, Mr. Topčagić stressed that progress of BiH in the EU integration process would be measured by „laws adopted, not drafted and measures implemented not prepared“. In that regard he informed that EC expected to see more qualitative work within the administration although progress had been made in the field of quality infrastructure. “Without capable institutions in the quality infrastructure BiH cannot fulfil its obligation and protect and promote its interests in this area.”
Mr. Topčagić informed that EC noted positive qualitative change in the export from BiH to EU in relation to diversification of the export base, which was largely represented by car-parts and textile industries. In order to achieve more progress in the trade area, Mr. Topčagić acknowledged that the European Commission considered the preparation of Trade Policy Strategy as highly important, but also the good coordination of all stakeholders, including civil sector and companies through Foreign Trade Chamber.
Related to SME, Mr. Topčagić informed that certain activities were initiated within the Working Group aiming at adopting a specific strategy and legislation. It is an important obligation of BiH but also a good precondition for economic development of BiH concluded Mr. Topčagić.
Press conference was followed by the session related to agriculture and fisheries, taxation and customs. Next RPM meeting is scheduled for June 2008.
