Members of the Committee for the Fight against Corruption of the House of Representatives met with the Head of the Delegation and the EU Special Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Members of the Committee for the Fight against Corruption of the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina (PA BiH) spoke today with the Head of the Delegation and the Special Representative of the European Union (EU) in BiH, Ambassador Johann Sattler.

In an open conversation, the members of the Committee informed Ambassador Sattler about the competences of the Committee, the past activities, and plans for the future work. Stating that the issue of the fight against corruption is one of the most important issues on Bosnia and Herzegovina's European path, the members of the Committee emphasized their intention to deal seriously and responsibly with this important issue, in accordance with the competences of the Committee for the Fight against Corruption according to the Rules of Procedure of the House of Representatives.

In this regard, the members of the Committee announced that in the coming period they will hold talks with all competent and relevant domestic and international institutions dealing with the fight against corruption. They stressed the need for the Committee to participate, within its competences, in the consideration and adoption of all laws that represent tools for the fight against corruption and requested the support of the EU Delegation, especially in transferring the experiences of the EU member states in the fight against corruption.

Emphasizing that the formation of the Committee for the Fight against Corruption in the House of Representatives of the PA BiH is good news, Ambassador Sattler expressed the expectation that the members of the Committee will be the strongest advocates of the adoption of reform laws that fulfil the priorities of the European Commission and strengthen the instruments for the fight against corruption. According to Ambassador Sattler, this primarily refers to the adoption of the law on conflict of interest, on the prevention of money laundering and terrorist financing, and the law on the courts of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Ambassador Sattler offered support for the Committee's work, and welcomed the idea that the EU Delegation to BiH, together with the Committee for the Fight against Corruption of the House of Representatives of the PA BiH, would jointly organize a conference at which an overview of the state of society would be made, and give guidelines on what is needed to be done in order for the institutions to oppose corruption as successfully as possible and to give additional impetus to the acceleration of the European integration process of BiH.

The Chair of the Committee for the Fight against Corruption of the House of Representatives Branislav Borenović, the Deputy Chairs of the Committee Predrag Kožul and Ermina Salkičević - Dizdarević, and members of the Committee Milorad Kojić and Nermin Mandra participated in the meeting with Ambassador Sattler. (end)