„European Way – Safe Way“ was the slogan of the event which took place on 25 September 2009 in front of the Sarajevo Cathedral, promoting EU Info Centres in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Promotional materials on European Union, its institutions and programmes, European integration process and activities undertaken by BiH authorities on fulfilling the obligations from the Stabilisation and Association Agreement, were distributed to the citiezens of Sarajevo.

This project was supported by the Delegation of the European Commission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, in cooperation with the Embassies of the United Kingdom and Republic of Hungary in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

„We have a network of EU Info centres throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina and citizens can visit the centres and obtain the necessary information about the European Union, its institutions, policies and programmes, through brochures or via internet. We are aware that the level of awareness in general population is not as high, both in the European Union Member States but also in potential candidate countries. It is very important that the level of knowledge and the awareness on the EU and its membership is increased, especially in the countries that wish to join the European Union. Membership in the European Union brings many benefits but also requires a lot of committments, therefore it is necessary that all citizens are aware of the membership benefits“, stated Boris Iarochevitch, Head of Operations of the European Commission Delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The activities of the EU Info Centres are aimed at ecnouraging the general public, especially young people, to participate actively in the European integration process of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As a part of the event, a quiz „How much do you know about the European Union“ was organised for the citizens of Sarajevo, while the youngest participants were offered a possibility to draw and leave messages about the European Union.

„This is one of the most popular ways to present the issue of European integration process to the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina. We believe that such activities, where citizens can find out more about the EU through brochures, interviews and discussion, will contribute to the efforts of BiH authorities to work on the fulfilling the membership requirements. The experiences of the countries in the region show that this was more successfull with the increased citizens’ support“ stated Nedeljko Masleša, Assistant Director of the Directorate for European Integrations of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

UK Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mr Michael Tatham also emphasised that the support of the general population was very important in the European integration process.

„Great Britain is proud to support such an initiative. I think that the European Union is the right goal for Bosnia and Herzegovina because it offers a framework for stability, security and prosperity. The process of joining the European Union should not only be a political process, therefore it requires the support of general public. The EU Info Centres work on raising awareness of BiH citizens about the importance of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s accession into the European Union“, stated Ambassador Tatham.

Apart from Sarajevo, the EU Info Centres are open in Banjaluka, Brčko, Mostar and Tuzla. EU Info centres were opened in cooperation with the non-governmental organisation Kyodo and universities in Bosnia and Herzegovina.