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Today, in Brussels, a formal Agreement on the accession of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the EU4Health programme was signed, marking a significant step forward in health policy and the improvement of healthcare in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Minister of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dubravka Bošnjak, and the European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides, signed the Agreement.

With the signing of this Agreement, Bosnia and Herzegovina will have access to financial resources amounting to 5.3 billion euros, which the European Union has allocated to the Programme's members for the period from 2021 to 2027.

This is the largest amount of financial resources compared to all previous cycles of the European Union's health programmes.

Minister Bošnjak expressed satisfaction with the signing of the agreement, emphasizing that joining the EU4Health programme will bring many benefits to the healthcare system of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

"This is a great opportunity for us to modernize and improve our healthcare system and move closer to European standards. Access to European funds and resources will enable us to respond more quickly to health challenges, improve the quality of healthcare services, and ensure better health conditions for everyone in Bosnia and Herzegovina," said Bošnjak.

Bošnjak also emphasized that joining the Programme is not just about funding. It is about strengthening cooperation and exchanging best practices with other EU member states, and it is very important to involve as many healthcare institutions as possible to achieve greater success in utilizing the opportunities offered by the Programme.

European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Stella Kyriakides expressed satisfaction that Bosnia and Herzegovina joined this programme. "EU4Health is a great opportunity for healthcare in each of the Programme's member countries," Kyriakides emphasized.

In addition to Bošnjak and Kyriakides, the signing of the Agreement was attended by Lorena Boix Alonso, Deputy Director-General of the Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety of the European Commission, Jurica Arapović, Assistant Minister in the Health Sector, Davor Bošnjak, Head of the Office of the Minister of Civil Affairs, and Obrad Kesić, Head of the Mission of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the European Union.

To recap, the European Union established this programme in 2021 with Regulation (EU) 2021/522, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and to strengthen crisis preparedness in the European Union.

The programme aims to make the health systems in the member countries of the programme stronger, more resilient, and more accessible to better face long-term health challenges.

The EU4Health programme contributes to achieving four general goals and ten specific objectives that represent key intervention areas in health improvement and promotion, protecting people from serious cross-border health threats, improving access to medicines, medical products, and crisis-relevant products, as well as strengthening health systems in participating countries.

 This year alone, over 752 million euros are available to all countries participating in this programme, including entities from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Entities from the public and private health sectors in Bosnia and Herzegovina can apply for these funds.

These can be healthcare institutions, professional public health bodies, associations, foundations, networks of health professionals, educational institutions, research institutes, social enterprises in the health sector, and non-governmental organizations. Individuals are not eligible to apply for funds under the EU4Health programme.

It is expected that Bosnia and Herzegovina's participation in this programme will, among other things, strengthen cooperation with European Union countries and other member countries of the programme in terms of knowledge exchange and best practices for health system responses to cross-border health threats.

Experience exchange with other countries in disease prevention, particularly cancer, and progress towards digital transformation in healthcare is also anticipated.

In the upcoming period, a Coordination Desk for the EU4Health Programme is planned to be established at the Ministry of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Its task will be to timely inform stakeholders about project application opportunities and provide support during project preparation.

We remind you that the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina supported the initiative of the Ministry of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina approved the conclusion of the International Agreement between the European Union and Bosnia and Herzegovina on Bosnia and Herzegovina's accession to the EU4Health Programme.

Additionally, with today's signing of the Agreement, Bosnia and Herzegovina is allowed retroactive participation in the open calls of the Programme for 2024, starting from 1 January 2024.