The new Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Bosnia and Herzegovina and EU Special Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ambassador Lars-Gunnar Wigemark, presented his credentials on April 15 2015 to the BiH Presidency Chairman, Dr Mladen Ivanic, in a ceremony held in the BiH Presidency. Following the ceremony , Ambassador Wigemark commenced public engagements in the country.
Speaking at the press conference held in the EU House in Sarajevo after the ceremony, Ambassador Wigemark said:
“For citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina to benefit from European Union membership, real progress on reform, economic and social reform, is necessary. Bosnia and Herzegovina can and will join the European Union. Exactly when depends on how quickly and effectively your own authorities can get on with these necessary reforms. There are some well-known steps to be taken urgently, in partnership between the EU and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The first step is to implement the December Conclusions of the EU Foreign Affairs Council and start consultations with the EU and the International Financial Institutions to develop a reform agenda. The recommendations contained within the Compact for Growth and Jobs is the framework for this reform agenda.”
Read the full transcript of the press conference here
Ambassador Wigemark graduated from Harvard University in 1984 with an A.B. magna cum laude in Social Sciences and holds a Master’s Degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in International Law and Economics. In 1988 he joined the Swedish Foreign Service and has been posted to Belgrade, Washington, Brussels, Kabul and Moscow. In September 2010 Ambassador Wigemark was appointed as one of the first EU Ambassadors under the Lisbon Treaty. He took up his duties in Pakistan in February 2011. He was appointed EU Special Representative in BiH by the Council Decision on 19 January 2015. Apart from native Swedish and fluency in English, Ambassador Wigemark is proficient in German, French and Russian.
