The first in the series of six regional public debates to be organized over the next few weeks was held on 28 June in Bihac entitled “Meet the Changes: Implications of Croatia’s Accession for Bosnia and Herzegovina“.
The aim of the event was to help stimulate a greater discussion among local and international stakeholders and the EU about what are the key issues and opportunities for BiH in light of Croatian accession to the EU and how they can be most effectively addressed. Engaged in a lively two-hour long debate with the invited audience, was a panel consisting of senior representatives from the Croatian and Slovenian Embassies to BiH, the Head of the Una Sana Canton Development Agency and the Head of the Una Sana Canton Chamber of Commerce. The event was moderated by the Office of the European Union Special Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The event was comprised of two debates: I) Trade and Export after Croatian Accession; II) Border Issues and the Rights of EU Citizens.
The main conclusions from the debate were: that Una-Sana Canton was economically oriented towards Croatia and that EU accession will bring challenges as well as opportunities; as well as a high level of frustration at the inability of BiH politicians to make the necessary reforms to push BiH’s EU ambitions further forward.
