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Edward Ferguson

British Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina

27th November 2015

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by Edward Ferguson

British Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina

Growth, jobs and fairness: The Reform Agenda

Wherever I go in Bosnia and Herzegovina, I try to seek out ordinary citizens, particularly young people, and to talk to them about the new EU strategy, and the Reform Agenda that has come from it. From all these conversations, one thing is very clear: most people really don’t understand what the Reform Agenda is […]

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3rd September 2015

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by Edward Ferguson

British Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina

Agents of Change

I was recently asked to speak at an event about the future of Bosnia and Herzegovina. I was the only speaker. I was happy to be there, but to be honest I thought it was a bit odd. I’m a foreign diplomat who has lived here for a year. Why should I be better qualified […]

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18th August 2015

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by Edward Ferguson

British Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina

REPUBLIKA SRPSKA. IT’S HERE TO STAY. SO CAN WE MOVE ON NOW?

During my first year here, I have been struck by just how much political energy in the RS is spent on worrying about imagined threats to its continued existence. Political speeches have little to say about the really serious problems facing ordinary people in Republika Srpska, and across BiH, with a struggling economy, high unemployment and […]

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18th June 2015

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by Edward Ferguson

British Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina

Remembering Srebrenica

In the last few days, a lot of people have been expressing strong views about the planned UN resolution to mark the 20th anniversary of the genocide in Srebrenica during the terrible war of the 1990s, where all sides suffered such terrible losses, military and civilian. When the UK accepted the responsibility of drafting this […]

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9th June 2015

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by Edward Ferguson

British Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina

A Magna Carta Moment

Like many things here in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the history of efforts to reform the justice sector is long and complicated. There have been important successes; there have been painful failures. There are many superb and honest judges and prosecutors in BiH, but there are also those who have betrayed the authority and trust that […]

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29th March 2015

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by Edward Ferguson

British Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina

Celebrating three great English exports in 2015

In 2015, England marks two major anniversaries. It will be 800 years since the Magna Carta was sealed and 750 years since the formation of the first English parliament. Anyone who is interested in seeing the document that has been described as England’s greatest export need only visit the British Library, where not one but […]

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20th March 2015

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by Edward Ferguson

British Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina

The SAA: A big step forward

On Monday, the EU’s Foreign Affairs Council agreed to bring into force the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with Bosnia and Herzegovina, seven years after it was originally signed. This is a big deal. For seven years, this country has been at a standstill on its European path. But now it is moving forwards again. […]

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6th March 2015

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by Edward Ferguson

British Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina

WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURITY

I am, of course, at an immediate disadvantage in writing a blog about the role and representation of women in politics and society on the inescapable basis that I am not one.  But I am a son, a brother, a husband, a father and a colleague to strong, creative and clever women, and that leaves […]

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24th February 2015

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by Edward Ferguson

British Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina

The case for NATO

Last week I got back from NATO Headquarters in Brussels. In January, the UK took over from Turkey as the lead NATO Embassy here in Sarajevo, so I went to learn about NATO’s priorities and challenges in our fast-changing and increasingly complex world. There’s a lot on NATO’s plate as it configures itself to respond […]

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22nd January 2015

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by Edward Ferguson

British Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina

Jobs, jobs and jobs

When Peter Sorensen was asked in his final press conference as the EU Special Representative what should be the priorities for the future, his reply was simple: “Jobs, jobs and jobs.” It’s difficult to disagree. Unemployment in Bosnia and Herzegovina is the highest in Europe at around 30%, with youth unemployment – according to the […]

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