Govori

There is no magic formula for rebuilding a country that experienced a war as brutal and violent as the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. And we sometimes tend to forget how brutal it really was. More than 100,000 people were killed. Nearly half the pre-war population was put to flight. Women and girls were serially raped as a matter of policy.

It is a pleasure and an honour to be here with you today. I say this because I know how much work you have to do, how hard you have to work and how important the work is you do. Though you work in many different fields, you all deal with the kinds of issues that affect the lives of your fellow citizens. You address concrete problems and your effort [...]

Over the years, I have travelled far and wide across Bosnia and Herzegovina and tried to be present at all the major events. This is, however, the first time I have attended the commemorative ceremony for our 12 colleagues who died here in pursuit of peace nine years ago.

As some of you may know, I have made it a priority since I took up my duties as High Representative and EU Special Representative to meet with the various business chambers in Bosnia and Herzegovina. My Principal Deputy, Larry Butler, has done the same. This is because I am convinced that the chambers – and related agencies that focus on representi [...]

No issue better illustrates the gulf that exists between empty political rhetoric and concrete proposals for improving the lives of all citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina than that of visa requirements. The present visa regime is commercially damaging, personally irritating and – in terms of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s international standing – demeani [...]

The end of the summer vacation, and the beginning of the fall is an opportunity to reflect on progress made toward achieving goals and objectives set

Since I took up my position as Principal Deputy High Representative in March 2005 I have made a point of speaking to this particular gathering

It is a pleasure and a privilege to be here with you today. It is a pleasure because this is an opportunity for me to learn from you, as much as it is an opportunity for me to speak with you. In fact, I am very interested to hear your views on a wide range of issues that I will come to later.

Perhaps the most useful contribution I can make to today’s discussion is to examine the draft Law on Agriculture in its broad political context – we have with us an impressive (I might even say intimidating) array of technical experts. I will offer thoughts on its political significance.

The meetings of the Peace Implementation Council that are taking place today and tomorrow in Sarajevo are extremely important. They are important because they are about the future of this country. They are about the transition from peace implementation to Euro-Atlantic integration.