UEFA officials have completed their inspection of the venues submitted by Croatia and Bosnia, as part of their joint bid to host the 2008 European championship finals.

‘UEFA is very aware of how much hosting this event… would boost development and infrastructure in your two young countries,’ said Juergen Mueller from the UEFA inspection committee.

‘However, we have also witnessed that there is potential for improving conditions in every town the commission visited,’ Spaho said.

‘Every town has projects on reconstructing, modernising and building stadiums, hotels, infrastructure and roads,’ Spaho continued.

‘We were assured that the political situation in the region is stable,’ he added. ‘The people concerned know it would not be wise to announce a bid if the circumstances were not safe.’

Next week UEFA officials will visit Greece and Turkey, to assess their joint bid.

Other co-bidders are Austria and Switzerland along with Scotland and Ireland, while Norway, Denmark, Finland and Sweden are invlved in a combined Scandinavian bid. Russia and Hungary have submitted individual bids.

UEFA will announce the winners in Geneva on December 12.