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Minister of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dubravka Bošnjak, met with the leadership of Eurotransplant in Leiden, Netherlands. Following Bosnia and Herzegovina's submission of a letter of intent for membership earlier in the year, the leadership of Eurotransplant extended an invitation to Minister Bošnjak for discussions on possibilities for collaboration and Bosnia and Herzegovina's accession to this international organization.

Representatives from Eurotransplant attending the meeting included members of the Supervisory Board and Board of Management, led by the Chair Supervisory Board, Prof  Dr  Dirk Van Raemdonck, and the General Director, Harm Jan Driessen. In addition to Minister Bošnjak, representatives from the entities and the Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina were present in the delegation.

Minister Bošnjak briefed the attendees on the activities undertaken in Bosnia and Herzegovina in this field thus far, particularly concerning the strengthening of HLA (Human Leukocyte Antigen) laboratories and their accreditation by the European Federation for Immunogenetics (EFI), as well as the promotion of the importance of donation in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Among the priorities highlighted was the need for collaboration through training and education in this area.

The leadership of Eurotransplant presented the conditions and steps necessary to be taken on the path to membership and expressed readiness to support Bosnia and Herzegovina, especially regarding the accreditation of HLA laboratories by EFI. They emphasized the importance of developing collaboration with transplantation centres in Eurotransplant member countries as one of the steps.

Minister Bošnjak particularly expressed interest in the possibility of formalizing Bosnia and Herzegovina's collaboration with Eurotransplant through a bilateral cooperation agreement as the first step before fulfilling the necessary conditions for membership in Eurotransplant and requested support in meeting the membership requirements.

In accordance with Eurotransplant procedures, advisory bodies of Eurotransplant will be informed about the discussions held and the interest expressed by Bosnia and Herzegovina, after which Bosnia and Herzegovina will be informed about further steps.

Additionally, the leadership of Eurotransplant extended an invitation to Minister Bošnjak to participate in Eurotransplant's annual meeting, scheduled for October this year, where Bosnia and Herzegovina will have the opportunity to present its activities in this field. Mutual satisfaction was expressed with the discussions held and the visit, which was held at a high level from Bosnia and Herzegovina for the first time.