WTO delegation visits Bosnia and Herzegovina to advance accession negotiations

This visit to Sarajevo builds on recent contacts WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala had with the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina and WTO members following Sarajevo's adoption of key accession-related legislation in December 2023. Launched in 1999, the accession of Bosnia and Herzegovina is currently one of the most technically advanced among the 22 on-going accessions.

Bosnia and Herzegovina's Accession Working Party last met in February 2018. Ambassador Anita Pipan of Slovenia was appointed as Chair of the Working Party in March 2023.

The visit started with a meeting with Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations Staša Košarac, who had met with the WTO Director-General in Geneva on 26 March. Minister Košarac reaffirmed his Government's commitment to concluding the WTO accession negotiations in 2025.

The discussions underscored the importance of registering substantive progress in the coming months by promptly addressing the relatively few outstanding issues, which include the implementation of the Decision on the Quality of Liquid Petroleum Fuels and the conclusion of bilateral market access negotiations with one remaining member.

The WTO delegation also had a productive exchange with the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina represented by Dr. Denis Zvizdić, First Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dr. Zdenko Ćosić, Chair of the Joint Committee on European Integration, and Mr. Miroslav Vujičić, First Deputy Chair of the Joint Committee on European Integration.

The key message conveyed by the Parliamentary Assembly was that there is unanimous support across all political parties for Bosnia and Herzegovina's WTO accession, recognizing it as a crucial step towards European Union membership. The parliamentarians also committed to leading outreach efforts to raise public awareness on the benefits of WTO membership.

In a meeting with Mr. Vjekoslav Vuković, President of the Foreign Trade Chamber, discussions focused on the interests of Bosnia and Herzegovina's business community in joining the WTO. Emphasis was placed on the benefits of WTO membership in providing market access opportunities beyond the EU markets and increasing predictability through the rule of law. The WTO delegation also had an opportunity to discuss the implementation of the Decision on the Quality of Liquid Petroleum Fuels with the Institute of Standardization.

As part of the visit, the WTO delegation also met with Deputy Minister of Finance and Treasury Muhamed Hasanović. Conveying his appreciation for the WTO's ongoing support, the Deputy Minister noted: "WTO membership sends a strong message to investors and represents a significant step toward integrating Bosnia and Herzegovina's economy into the international trade system based on WTO rules and principles."

Finally, the WTO Secretariat held technical working sessions with Bosnia and Herzegovina's WTO accession team, led by Chief Negotiator Mr. Hamdo Tinjak, to update the documentation for the next meeting of the Working Party. Ambassador Pipan plans to reconvene the Working Party in the near future, focusing initially on taking stock of progress made since the last meeting in 2018 and discussing next steps towards finalizing the accession process.