The Steering Board of the Peace Implementation Council (PIC) began a two-day session in Sarajevo yesterday.

Chaired by High Representative Valentin Inzko the Steering Board will discuss the priorities and challenges that BiH is facing today and how the international community can best facilitate progress in BiH.

The High Representative will underline that October’s general elections offer a chance for a fresh start and that Governments now need to be formed as quickly as possible.

This afternoon the PIC will meet with representatives of BiH civil society from Transparency International, the Nansen Dialogue Centre, the Civil Society initiative and the BiH Foreign Policy initiative.

Tomorrow morning the PIC will meet with the members of the BiH Presidency to hear from them their expectations regarding progress on nominating the Chair of the BiH Council of Ministers, proposals for the 2011 State Budget and how they will support progress on BiH’s key foreign policy objective, progress towards Euro-Atlantic integration.

Over the next two days the PIC will discuss BiH’s progress on the five objectives and two conditions and consider how BiH may get back on track in key policy areas including State and Defence property, Constitutional reform and EU partnership requirements including the BiH census.