Speech by the Head of EU Delegation and EU Special Representative in BiH, Ambassador Luigi Soreca 

Dear guests,

Good evening, and thank you for joining us to celebrate Europe Day together.

This is my first Europe Day in Bosnia and Herzegovina. I have only been living here for eight months, but this is long enough to understand that this is an extraordinary and special place. 

Not only is this a country blessed with unparalleled landscapes and exceptional cultural heritage. It is also home to many people of remarkable talent, determination, and resilience.

Many of the people who it has been an honour to meet are here this evening. I look forward to continuing the exchanges we have begun. 

I would also like to thank my team at the EU in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as colleagues from the broader EU family and international community, who have helped me to settle in. This is a complex country, and your support has been invaluable. 

This is true, in particular, because of the current political climate and the difficult challenges ahead of us.

It is precisely because Bosnia and Herzegovina is a complex and challenging country that our shared efforts to bring it closer to a future within the European Union carry such meaning and significance.

The European Union was born as a project for peace and cooperation in a continent too often torn apart by conflict. Following the horrors of fascism and the devastation of the Second World War, the European Union’s founders envisioned a different future – one where the economies and societies of our continent were so closely united through economic and political cooperation that war was not only unthinkable, but materially impossible. 

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has spoken eloquently about answering the call of history through the enlargement of the European Union. But, as people in Bosnia and Herzegovina know all too well, the vision of Europe’s founding fathers remains incomplete. 

Not only is this vision incomplete, but it is also increasingly under threat, from those who reject the rules and value-based global order created after the Second World War, in favour of a ‘might makes right’ framework, where, as Thucydides wrote, the “strong do as they will, and the weak suffer what they must”. 

Russia’s brutal and inhuman war of aggression against Ukraine, as well as attempts to destabilise Europe’s democracies through disinformation, cyberattacks, and sabotage, are a signal that the certainty of a united Europe can no longer be taken for granted. We are not, as once hoped, at the ‘End of History’. We can no longer comfort ourselves with the thought that tomorrow will certainly be better than today. 

To ensure a united Europe, we have to stay determined, engaged and committed. 

People in Bosnia and Herzegovina can be certain of our commitment to this country and its future in the EU. The European Union has been — and will continue to be — a reliable partner and steadfast friend.

We saw this solidarity again last October, when assistance was swiftly mobilised following the devastating floods in Herzegovina. That is what partnership looks like in practice. A partnership where the EU and its Member States play in same team, Team Europe. 

Today, however, progress on the EU path is stalled due to a deep political crisis, resulting from unilateral and unacceptable attacks on the constitutional order of the country. 

Despite important progresses achieved in the past years, and as recently as this January with the adoption of the Law on Data Protection and the Law on Border Control, few last remaining steps still need to be addressed. But I would be remiss not to note that opening accession negotiations appears now farther away than one year ago.

In addition, the EU offered a Growth Plan to stimulate the economic development of the Western Balkans and facilitate the integration of the block in the single market – the largest single market in the world.

Again, without the necessary engagement of the country’s institutions, this is another opportunity that risk to be missed – with a dire impact on citizens and businesses.

This is clearly not an ideal scenario, but the European Union stands by those who work in good faith for a stable, prosperous and European Bosnia and Herzegovina. Come forward and let your voice be heard!

We will also continue to stand by domestic legal remedies and an institutional response to address the crisis and protect the rule of law and the legal order. 

In this context, I want to pay particular tribute to the many civil servants who continue to carry out their responsibilities with integrity and professionalism, amid intense political pressure and public threats. 

Despite the challenges Bosnia and Herzegovina is facing today, the country can still move forward on the European path – as a large majority of the citizens of this country wants. In the wake of a new wave of protectionism, an accelerating climate crisis and new security challenges, the EU offers the Western Balkans the opportunity to confront these global challenges together. 

The EU is the best guarantee of a secure and prosperous future for the region and for Bosnia and Herzegovina.

My message to the authorities is simple: the time to act responsibly to secure the future of your citizens is now. Put EU integration at the centre of your endeavours, as the centre of gravity, the common denominator over your differences. 

It is time to answer to the call of history, to bring Europe back together into the European Union. 

The opening of accession negotiations is a concrete proposal. It is not out of reach – even amid the current crisis. Accession negotiations are not just a framework to achieve EU membership, but a tool for real change. 

Accession negotiations are a powerful mechanism to build better democratic institutions, strengthen the rule of law, foster a resilient economy, protect the environment, defend consumer rights, and advance human rights.

In short: accession negotiations are a transformative process — for the benefit of all citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

It is the responsibility of this country leaders to make the best out of this historical opportunity – this will require courage, a spirit of compromise, mutual trust and understanding. 

In closing, I want to reaffirm our commitment to building a future together — based on shared values, prosperity, and peace. 

The European Union is not an abstract idea, but a real and living project — with people at its centre.

After all, as we so often say: Bosnia and Herzegovina is "Oduvijek u srcu Evrope" — always in the heart of Europe.

Thank you for your time and attention!

Allow me now to introduce our second speaker. In my time here, I have had the privilege to meet inspiring civil society activists, entrepreneurs, public servants, and outstanding individuals from the arts, sports, and academia. Most importantly, I have met young people whose energy and dynamism give us hope for the future. 

And because young people stand to gain the most from a future in the EU, I am delighted to invite one of our Young European Ambassadors, Ena Porča, to take the stage.

Ena, the floor is yours.

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Speech by the Young European Ambassador Ena Porča at the Europe Day 2025 Reception

For young people in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the path to the European Union means more than documents, political decisions, and traveling abroad. This path is an opportunity—an opportunity for education, employment, development, a healthy environment, and life in a society that respects human rights—all of that in our own country.

Europe Day for us is not just a symbol of the past—it is a call to shape the future together. To remind ourselves and others that the European identity is not just a document or a passport; it represents all of us who share the values of peace, solidarity, responsibility, and dialogue.

But if we want to build Europe in BiH, young people must be part of that process. That is why today, we send a message to decision-makers: we are not asking for perfect strategies on twenty pages. We seek concrete action, involvement of local communities, genuine trust, and support to create and build change around us.

I have the honor of holding the title of Young European Ambassador, and the sentence that marks our work is "United in Diversity." Because if there are young people who show the beauty of diversity every day, it is the youth of this country. If there is a region that knows what it means to build amidst complexity—it is ours.

And our generation is ready. Not to run away—but to stay, to create, to drive change. Young people in BiH are already developing their own businesses, volunteering, leading local initiatives, connecting through platforms like our network and so many others. The potential of every young person knows no boundaries. Thanks to cooperation such as that with the European Union in BiH, every young person has the opportunity to be at the heart of joint efforts toward the European path and to be a true partner in shaping that process.

And so, let Europe Day be a reminder: the European path does not only lead to capitals—it begins right here. In the local community, in schools, in the parks we care for, in the ideas we develop, in the mutual respect we nurture.

The Europe we strive for is not just a place—it is a way of thinking. And young people in BiH are already an active part of it today.

Therefore, in the chaos of rushed decision-making, let our actions today—rooted in empathy, responsibility, and hope—grow and evolve into a better future for all generations of tomorrow.

Thank you.