In cooperation with the European Policy Centre and the Austrian province of Styria, on Wednesday 3 December a political dialogue was held on the topic "Bosnia and Herzegovina after protests and elections: How to break the vicious cycle?" which was attended by the European Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn, vice president of the European Parliament Delegation for relations with Bosnia and Herzegovina Dubravka Šuica, civil society representatives from Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Florian Bieber, a professor from the University of Graz.

 
˝Bosnia and Herzegovina is increasingly gaining importance in the European context. The tragic legacy of recent history and continues to affect perception, reform and relations in the country. The Dayton Peace Agreement, initialed in Dayton (USA) in November, and later signed in Paris in December 1995, ended the conflict and enabled the country and citizens to begin rebuilding, with international support, in a peaceful and stable environment. However, 20 years after Dayton, we see that the country is still at a standstill. As I said during the hearing in the European Parliament, in Brussels we must switch from the Dayton logic to a logic that will change the unsatisfactory status quo with the aim of activating the economy and bringing prosperity for all citizens in the country.˝
 
˝The central question will be: How can the EU help so that Bosnia and Herzegovina capitalizes on the huge potential of the EU integration process, for the benefit of its citizens?,˝ said Commissioner Hahn, and welcomed the initiative of the German and the British Ministers of Foreign Affairs, who support providing a faster European perspective for Bosnia and Herzegovina.