MPs in the House of Representatives PA BiH and members of the Green Parliamentary Club of BiH Jasmin Emrić and Branislav Borenović participated in a meeting of representatives of the green parliamentary groups of the Western Balkans with the Permanent Secretariat of the Transport Community in Skopje

Deputies in the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina and members of the Green Parliamentary Club of BiH Jasmin Emrić and Branislav Borenović participated in a meeting of representatives of the green parliamentary groups of the Western Balkans with representatives of the Permanent Secretariat of the Transport Community in Skopje.

The participants at the meeting, organized by the Permanent Secretariat of the Transport Community, the German GIZ and the School of Political Studies of the Council of Europe, had the opportunity to listen to the presentation of the Director of the Permanent Secretariat of the Transport Community Matej Zakonjšek on activities related to sustainable mobility and the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans. Director Zakonjšek pointed out that the overall progress in the acquisition and implementation of the acquis in the field of transport is insufficient. He said that only 18% of the acquis has been taken over in full, 20% has been taken over partially, while 62% is waiting to be taken over. He also announced Action Plans for facilitating transport in 2025-2027, which, he said, should lead to an increase in transport and regional cooperation. He also presented other types of transport and particularly emphasized the need for accelerated revitalization of rail transport, not only as a type of transport but also as an important factor in the fight against climate change.

In the second part of his presentation, director Zakonjšek presented projects that, as he explained, should further improve the functioning of green corridors, which, from the idea during the Covid-19 pandemic to speed up the transport of essential goods, have become a very effective tool in speeding up border traffic, both within the Western Balkans region and between the Western Balkans and the European Union (EU). According to Zakonjšek, the plan is to further improve the infrastructure, improve staff capacity and apply the most modern IT solutions at the ten border crossings between the Western Balkans and the EU, through which about 80% of traffic from the EU takes place, whereby, Zakonjšek announced, the Transport Community will be one of the partners in the implementation of these projects.

On the sidelines of the event in Skopje, MPs Emrić and Borenović held a meeting with director Zakonjšek regarding the problem of the residence of drivers from Bosnia and Herzegovina in the EU, i.e. the Schengen area. Director Zakonjšek pointed out that he is very familiar with the problem and that this problem is very big, both for Bosnia and Herzegovina and for Serbia and North Macedonia. He emphasized that this is not a primary issue of EU legislation in the field of transport, but a problem within the competence of the Directorate for Internal Affairs, as it concerns freedom of movement in the Schengen area. He added that changing the legislation in that domain is a very complex and long-term process, but that he will certainly support the ideas of finding some urgent solutions that are possible within the existing regulations in communication with the EU administration in Brussels.

MPs Emrić and Borenović, as representatives of the Green Parliamentary Club of Bosnia and Herzegovina, will also participate in the 7th ProSUMP conference on green urban transport solutions, which is being held in Orhid.

During the two-day ProSUMP (Promoting of sustainable urban mobility plans) conference, participants will exchange information and opinions on the integrated framework of sustainable mobility for the Western Balkans, and lead a dialogue on green transition and sustainable transport solutions. (end)