Amicale

Dear friends of the European Parliamentary Association,

The European Parliamentary Association is glad to invite you to a debate entitled “30 years after the Dayton-Paris Agreement: Bosnia and Herzegovina, between past and future”, which will take place on Tuesday 9 September from 20:00 to 21:15, in our villa, 76 Allée de la Robertsau, in Strasbourg. 

To attend this debate, please register here: https://forms.gle/4TAo9Jf8qS1665557

The Dayton-Paris Agreement, signed in 1995, brought an end to the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the first armed conflict on European soil since 1945. This war left a deep mark on Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Western Balkans, and Europe as a whole. The siege of Sarajevo remains the longest in modern history, and the Srebrenica genocide is one of the darkest chapters in this country’s history. Today, 30 years later, Bosnia and Herzegovina is a candidate for EU accession. However, it continues to draw the attention of the international community, and the reconciliation process is far from complete.

We will take a look at the lessons of the past, the ongoing challenges, and the role of the European Union with two Members of the European Parliament:

- Željana Zovko, Member of the European Parliament for Croatia, representing the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ). She is a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and a Vice-President of the Group of the European People’s Party. Born in Mostar (Bosnia and Herzegovina), she was a diplomat before becoming an MEP and served as Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to France, Spain and Italy.

- Christophe Gomart, Member of the European Parliament for France, representing Les Républicains. He is the Vice-Chair of the Committee on Security and Defence and a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs. Prior to entering politics, he had a notable military career, which included appointments as Commander of Special Operations and Director of Military Intelligence. During the war in Bosnia, General Gomart was deployed to this country several times. In the years that followed, he also played a role in missions aimed at tracking down war criminals in the former Yugoslavia.

And 

- Vitomir Miles Raguž, author of the book “Who saved Bosnia”. Born in Stolac (Bosnia and Herzegovina), he advised Bosnian-Herzegovinian and Croatian diplomats at the United Nations in New York and senior Bosnian-Herzegovinian officials at three Bosnia peace conferences. In 1998 he became Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Ambassador to the EU and NATO in Brussels, serving during the Kosovo crisis. He resigned from this post in 2000 to work in the banking sector. 

The discussion will be held in English and French without interpretation. MEP Zovko and Mr Raguž will speak in English, and MEP Gomart will speak in French.

The event will conclude with a cocktail reception. 

This initiative is supported by the City of Strasbourg, the Collectivité européenne d'Alsace, the Région Grand Est and the Préfecture de la Région Grand Est.

We hope to see you there.