A year into visa negotiations with the European Union the BiH authorities must fulfil the remaining conditions set out in the visa liberalisation road map, the High Representative and EU Special Representative, Valentin Inzko, said today.
“This will allow visa restrictions to be lifted, which will represent a quantum leap for BiH travellers,” he said.
Marking the ninth anniversary of the founding of the BiH Border Police, Valentin Inzko stated that this is “a notably successful component of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s European integration project.”
The HR/EUSR said he was particularly pleased that cross-border cooperation has been stepped up with Serbia, Croatia and Montenegro in the last year and he commended Director Vinko Dumancic for his effective leadership of the Border Police.
“I constantly make the point that the regional environment in Southeast Europe is getting better – and Bosnia and Herzegovina must take advantage of that,” the HR/EUSR said “The Border Police has been capitalising on positive relations with its counterparts in the region and this has delivered real benefits to citizens, in terms of reduced cross-border crime and greater ease of travel.”
However, he noted that the shortfall of more than 200 officers in the overall strength of the Border Police has not yet been made up and he called on the BiH authorities to close this personnel gap without further delay.
“The Border Police has been a BiH success story, an example of how the state can serve its citizens honestly and efficiently – it must continue to receive the financial, logistical and institutional support that it needs,” he said. “As we mark the ninth anniversary we see a countrywide, multiethnic agency deploying state-of-the-art equipment to carry out complex and demanding tasks professionally – that is a model for other BiH agencies.”