Mr. President, honorary parliamentarians, excellencies, ladies & gentlemen,

Under the auspices of the Foreign Policy Initiative (FPI) I am pleased to participate today at the presentation of the first semi-annual report concerning the European Integration Process of BiH.

When I attended the launching of FPI:s very first "2008 preliminary report" earlier this year (5 March) I did so as the Ambassador of Sweden. I am still the same Ambassador but as from July 1 I also have the honour to represent the local European Union Presidency for 6 months ahead. And I am honoured to be here today in the company of Mr. Zeljko Komsic, now chairman of another Presidency, namely the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

As Presidents we have numerous responsibilities in a number of different areas. But today we have assembled with all of you to be informed of the findings of the latest FPI report.

The Swedish Embassy and the Swedish International Development Agency have cooperated with FPI on previous occasions. Obviously, the findings and conclusions of the FPI are their sole responsibility and do not necessarily reflect the views of my government or, for that matter, the European Union.

But the noble ambition of this new three year project is to "demystify the EU integration process". That is an important task as it should facilitate the national focus, political efforts and energy on priorities in the right order. It is equally important that ordinary people - the constituencies of the national political leaders - are given the possibility to understand and appreciate what the EU integration process really means for them as future EU citizens.

Since Bosnia has the ambition to become a member of both NATO and the EU, it continues to be subjected to a detailed monitoring regarding the obligations that these political ambitions entail. For membership in NATO and the EU, a number of conditions also coincide, in particular in the area of the rule of law and human rights.

The continued focus of FPI:s report - and subsequent reports & surveys that will follow - is, very generally speaking, how Bosnia is doing with regard to preparations for its EU future membership. The findings and conclusions are meant to serve as a "help to self help" for all of you who are engaged in the EU integration process.

In my March address I recalled the comparison that my Foreign Minister Carl Bildt once made between the international community's assistance to Bosnia after the war with the Marshall Plan for Europe between 1948-1952 for 16 European countries.

Minister Bildt noted that mere flow of international advice and funding would not have been sufficient for reconstruction without the wisdom and foresight of major European politicians at the time. Minister Bildt in particular mentioned the role of the then German minister of economy and later Bundeskansler, Mr. Ludwig Erhard, because he was instrumental in bringing his country back on its feet, by taking numerous national measures which allowed, in that case, Germany to benefit from the potential of the foreign assistance.

I would therefore like to repeat today that we also expect the politicians and parliamentarians of Bosnia & Herzegovina to rise to the challenge and to make use of the substantial international advice and funding for the benefit of Bosnia & Herzegovina and not least the wishes of a large majority of ordinary citizens who are very much in favour of EU membership.

And let us not forget the crucial role of civil society in bringing things forward in this country. The subject matters of this and forthcoming FPI reports have a direct bearing on the activities and aims of a variety of actors within civil society, actors who in essence form the core group of "lobbyists" when it comes to influencing government and parliament at all levels, to take the right decisions.

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I have made these comments in the conviction that if the EU integration is to e taken seriously, there a number of steps which still need to be taken. We are in the midst of a difficult dialogue on the visa liberalisation issue but let me take this opportunity to say that fulfilling the remaining steps of the road map is definitely a smaller matter than the going through membership negotiations. In any event, we have seen that when there is a political will, progress can be made in a very short time and we believe that it should be possible to take the remaining steps soon, allowing for a positive recommendation to be issued in due time.

The continued enlargement of the European Union and an open EU perspective for the states of the Western Balkan region, are among the top priorities of the Swedish EU Presidency's foreign policy agenda.

But we will need proof of a solid track record not only regarding the implementation of the SA agreement but also concerning other reform efforts to help Bosnia move further on the road "from Dayton to Brussels". There are a number of benchmarks to achieve, you are on the right track and we are here to assist you attain these goals.

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Ladies and gentlemen, let me conclude by welcoming the launch today of the first semi-annual FPI report on the BiH EU integration processes.

I am sure that this report - as well as the forthcoming reports - will be useful tools in the hands of all national as well as international stakeholders, as we continue to work for the benefit, prosperity and wellbeing of this fine country and its fine citizens.

Thank you very much for your attention.

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More information about FPI and the mentioned report can be found on their webpage www.vpi.ba.