“Bosnia and Herzegovina needs a rational social framework, and the European Commission is providing support that will help transform policy decisions in this field into actual reforms,” stated Johan Hesse, Head of Operations section for Economic Reform and Natural Resources at the European Commission Delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina, at a high-level meeting on Social Security Coordination which took place in Sarajevo on 19 June 2009.

Mr. Hesse stressed that the European Union is an engine of quality in economic and social life. “We would like to show the future EU member states that good European social policy means good economic policy as well”,  he said.

The high-level meeting on social security co-ordination was organised as part of a joint programme of the European Commission and the Council of Europe, “Social Security Co-ordination and Social Security Reforms”, which is being conducted in the framework of the EU Instrument for Pre-Accession.   Speaking at the start of the conference, Caroline Ravaud, the Special Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina of the Council of Europe’s Secretary-General, expressed the hope that the meeting would help participants familiarise themselves with best practice in the social security field.   The conference was attended by representatives of the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Council of Europe in BiH, the European Commission Delegation in BiH and experts on social security co-ordination from Germany and Switzerland.

The  joint programme of the European Commission and the Council of Europe “Social Security Co-ordination and Social Security Reforms” is designed for the Western Balkan countries and Turkey.