Sarajevo - EU integration in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) cannot move forward in a satisfactory manner without significant involvement of municipalities, High Representative and EU Special Representative in BiH, Miroslav Lajčák, told a packed conference of civic leaders in Sarajevo on Wednesday December 17.
‘Municipalities will have plenty of work to do when it comes to implementing EU directives and many of the benefits are going to be delivered through them’, he said ‘It is therefore of paramount importance that municipalities and other local community organisations make their voice heard so that those at the state level who are dealing directly with the EU will act with the knowledge, support and detailed input of local communities.’
The conference, entitled “Understanding EU: Challenges for local authority” was organised by SNV in the Balkans in partnership with BiH Directorate for European Integrations, Association of Cities and Municipalities of Republika Srpska and Association of Cities and Municipalities of the Federation of BiH.
Regional Director for SNV Balkans, Courtney Bickert, told the conference that SNV is committed to supporting the process towards EU integration. ‘SNV has been working in BiH for some time now, supporting development that directly improves the lives of people and communities’, she said. ’We want to raise awareness amongst municipalities about how much there is to gain from full participation in this process, and in the longer term build their capacity to prepare and implement appropriate strategies to turn potential benefits into actual gains’.
A guide to help municipalities address the issues of EU integration and to enable them to make the most of the opportunities and reap the benefits was introduced at the conference. Ms Bickert told the gathering that SNV Balkans will continue working with its partners and clients to support their involvement in the EU accession process. ‘We want to raise awareness amongst municipalities about how much there is to gain from full participation in this process, and in the longer term build their capacity to prepare and implement appropriate strategies to turn potential benefits into actual gains,’ she said.
SNV Advisor for Local Administration Ajša Bešlagić-Adrović said that one of the objectives of the conference was to encourage local governments to take the initiative towards more active participation in the process of the European integration.
‘In order to use all the opportunities and advantages of the EU integration process, raising awareness amongst municipalities about all the obligations arising from the process is of key importance, she said. ‘Up to 80 percent of the European legislation should be implemented at the local level. Having in mind the fact that EU legislation contains about 80,000 pages, you can imagine how much work needs to be done. BiH could join the EU without the full participation of municipalities but it cannot function properly without them.’
More information on www.snvbalkans.org