Stefano Sannino, Deputy Director-General of the European Union’s Directorate General for Enlargement will pay his first visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina on 23-28 January. During his visit, Mr. Sannino will meet with BiH Presidency members and the leaders of BiH political parties in Sarajevo, Banja Luka and Mostar for high-level political consultations on the key BiH-EU relationship issues and the reforms needed on the BiH European integration path.   

Mr. Sannino will also attend the conference ”Adriatic Ionian Macro Region Bridge to EU” on 25 January. The Conference, co-hosted by BiH and Italy’s Ministries of Foreign Affairs, will provide an opportunity to engage in an open debate on the Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Macro Region with specific focus on its benefits for the Western Balkan region.

Ahead of his visit, Mr. Sannino stated: ”I am confident that BiH political leadership will demonstrate the political will to reach a countrywide consensus and get the country back on the road of reform and progress leading to EU integration. On its side the EU stands ready to continue supporting the efforts of the authorities to move forward on the path towards the EU. The future of BiH is firmly within the EU ”.

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Stefano Sannino joined the European Commission in 2002 as an Adviser for external relations and trade in the cabinet of President Romano Prodi. In this capacity, he was also the President’s representative (sherpa) to the G8. In 2005, he was appointed Director for the crisis platform and Representative to the political and security committee, within the External Relations DG. From 2006 to 2008 he was seconded to the office of the Italian Prime minister as Principal adviser for EU and international affairs and G8 Sherpa. He returned to the Commission in 2008 as Director for Latin America and in 2009 he was appointed Deputy Director-General at the External Relations DG in charge of Asia and Latin America. In 2010 he has become Deputy Director-General in DG Enlargement.

Prior to his career at the Commission, Mr. Sannino held various positions with the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Foreign Trade. Among other postings, he was Deputy Head of Mission at the Italian Embassy in Belgrade (1993–95) and Ambassador/Head of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s (OSCE) Mission to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (2001–02).

He holds a University Degree in Political Sciences (University of Naples) and is fluent in English, French and Spanish.