Delivery by Chairman of Council of Ministers of BIH Vjekoslav Bevanda on Occasion of Day of Europe

Chairman of the Council of Ministers of BIH Vjekoslav Bevnada addressed to invitees at the solemn reception organised by the Delegation of European Union in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Other than Chairman Bevanda, numerous guests from political and public life of Bosnia and Herzegovina, also Ambassador Peter Sorensen Head of the EU Delegation in BIH and EU Special Representative addressed the reception. Below is the speech by Chairman Bevanda.

Honourable Ambassador Sorensen,

Honourable Invitees,

Dear Friends,

At today’s day, 63 years ago, a great French statesman Robert Schuman sow a seed for the association of European states in form of the Community for Coal and Steel, which has grown into something that he could not have dreamed about at that time – a strong and fruitful tree with 28, almost 28, branches with deeply grounded roots. This union of diversities, not only as a guarantee of peace at historically fragile European soil, but as a main vehicle of economic development of its member countries, creates an extremely strong economic block at the world market, and this which association of states - despite severe economic crisis in the world - remained on its feet.

Europe can serve, in many ways, as a good example to Bosnia and Herzegovina in terms of functioning as a community of different peoples, as the EU motto rightly says - in variatate concordia: unanimity in diversity. Bosnia and Herzegovina’s politicians, if truly concerned for a long term well-being of this country, must apply this motto de facto, without any fingers crossed, and with due respect to the rights of all three constitutive peoples and, of course, minorities, in order to ensure primarily a political and social sustainability, and by relaying on it to continue further along the European path. All other variants, as proven by the short history of this country in several occasions, lead straight to both political and economic turmoil.

The only right way, in fact a key for a brighter future of Bosnia and Herzegovina is in the fulfilment of Copenhagen and Madrid criteria for the EU membership, which means to secure a political, economic, legal and administrative adjustment and stability so to get prepared to formally enter one day into the community of peoples, where we naturally belong.

From the bottom of my hearth, I wish you all happy Day of Europe!