The World Trade Organization (WTO) delegation visited Sarajevo to advance the accession negotiations of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This visit follows recent interactions between WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and the Bosnian government, as well as WTO members, after Sarajevo adopted key legislation related to accession in December 2023. Bosnia and Herzegovina's accession process, which began in 1999, is one of the most technically advanced among 22 ongoing accessions.
The Accession Working Party for Bosnia and Herzegovina last convened in February 2018. Ambassador Anita Pipan from Slovenia was appointed Chair of the Working Party in March 2023.
The visit commenced with a meeting involving Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations Staša Košarac, who had previously met with the WTO Director-General in Geneva on March 26. Minister Košarac confirmed his government's dedication to completing the WTO accession negotiations by 2025.
Discussions highlighted the necessity of making significant progress soon by resolving a few remaining issues. These include implementing the Decision on the Quality of Liquid Petroleum Fuels and concluding bilateral market access negotiations with one remaining member.
The WTO delegation also engaged with representatives from Bosnia and Herzegovina's Parliamentary Assembly: 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.
Parliamentary representatives expressed unanimous support across all political parties for Bosnia and Herzegovina's WTO accession, viewing it as a vital step towards European Union membership. They pledged to lead outreach efforts to increase public awareness about the benefits of WTO membership.
In discussions with Mr. Vjekoslav Vuković, President of the Foreign Trade Chamber, attention was given to how joining the WTO would benefit Bosnia and Herzegovina's business community by providing market access opportunities beyond EU markets and enhancing predictability through rule-based governance. The delegation also discussed implementing quality standards for liquid petroleum fuels with the Institute of Standardization.
During their visit, they met with Deputy Minister of Finance and Treasury Muhamed Hasanović. He expressed gratitude for ongoing support from the WTO: "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."
Lastly, technical working sessions were held between the WTO Secretariat and Bosnia and Herzegovina’s accession team led by Chief Negotiator Mr. Hamdo Tinjak to update documentation for an upcoming Working Party meeting. Ambassador Pipan plans to reconvene this group soon to review progress since their last meeting in 2018 and discuss steps towards finalizing accession.