Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Bosnia-Herzegovina lies in the heart of Europe and its future is within the European Union. In light of this, the EU and Ireland have a clear strategic interest in fostering peace and stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The secessionist rhetoric and backsliding on human rights that we are seeing in Bosnia-Herzegovina’s Republika Srpska entity is of great concern. We and our EU partners continue to monitor the situation closely.

However, despite these constant efforts to undermine Bosnia-Herzegovina’s EU perspective, the Government has continued to make some progress in implementing EU reforms, and - while more is needed - this year it achieved full alignment with the EU on issues of Common Security and Defence Policy, a clear sign of its commitment to a future in the EU.

The EU must honour the commitments made to candidate countries, and reward those who have been courageous in implementing necessary reforms. In an historic moment at December’s European Council, the EU signalled that it is ready to open accession negotiations with Bosnia-Herzegovina, once the required degree of compliance with the membership criteria has been met. This was the right decision, based on the Commission’s recommendations. I look forward to further reporting from the Commission in March, which I hope will facilitate additional steps.

We welcome the New Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, which envisages an investment of €6 billion to bring the countries of the Western Balkans closer to the EU, accelerate accession-related reforms, and boost economic growth. I encourage political leaders in Bosnia-Herzegovina to continue to advance reforms, so as to benefit from these important funds.

Ireland continues to engage bilaterally with our Bosnian counterparts and offer support and expertise through various knowledge-sharing programmes. Ireland will also support EU efforts to strengthen engagement with candidate countries, including in relation to hybrid threats, disinformation, and cyber security.

It is clear to see that the aspiration of the overwhelming majority of the Bosnian people is to fulfil their EU perspective, and we should continue to encourage them in this endeavour, and to be a strong supporter of EU enlargement as a strategic tool to consolidate democracy and stability throughout the European continent.