Tegeltija, Varhlyi Discuss Pandemic, Bosnia's EU Accession

Zoran Tegeltija (Beta/HINA/FENA/ Almir Razic)

The chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Zoran Tegeltija, talked via video link with the EU enlargement commissioner, Oliver Varhelyi, discussing Bosnia's coronavirus status, as well as economic and political developments in Bosnia and across the region in the context of EU integrations.

Tegeltija thanked for the European Union's support to Bosnia and Herzegovina's efforts to fight the coronavirus, underlining the importance of the Union's constant role in strengthening political and economic ties in the Western Balkans, the Council of Ministers reported.

Varhelyi said the EU was ready to provide additional support to Bosnia's healthcare sector, responding to its needs, and made Tegeltija familiar with the Union's economic and investment plan for the Western Balkans, which the European Commission would present next autumn. As the EU official put it, the plan was designed to provide long-term support to regional economic recovery, and to bring the region closer to the Union.

Speaking of Bosnia's EU accession, the chairman of the Council of Ministers noted that the Bosnian authority was focused on securing the status of a candidate country for Bosnia and opening accession negotiations with the Union, despite the challenges arising from the coronavirus pandemic.