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Brussels, (Fena) – The European Parliament (EP) rapporteur for Bosnia and Herzegovina Ondřej Kolář stated in an interview with Bosnian journalists that he is pessimistic about the situation in BiH, warning that local politicians avoid responsibility, slow down reform processes, and often rely on external actors instead of making key decisions themselves.
– Speaking openly and honestly, I am somewhat pessimistic about the current situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina because my impression is that there are many people in public positions who somehow rely on external actors, who are not willing to take responsibility for implementing the necessary reforms that would move the country forward and truly be accountable for what they do. It seems to me that they are trying, or perhaps not even trying, but simply relying on others to make decisions instead of them, and then use that as an alibi for their own inaction, for their own incompetence, but when someone else makes decisions or something is imposed on them, they tend to criticize it, claiming that they would have made better decisions, even though they have not been able to do so. This, of course, slows everything down, slows down the reforms that need to be implemented both within the country and towards the European Union (EU) – said Kolář.
He emphasized that it is very important for him to come to Bosnia and Herzegovina, to be there and talk to politicians, the non-governmental sector, and the public in order to see what the situation is really like on the ground, and to somehow form his opinion.
– Observing things from afar is quite different from talking to people on the ground. I do not want to base my report on impressions, but on facts, and that is why I really want to come back to BiH and talk to all relevant stakeholders I can talk to. I have done this before when I was preparing the previous report. The process is such that we first receive a draft report from the Commission, which outlines and comments on the country’s progress, what reforms are being implemented, and how the reform process is progressing, and then as Parliament, we actually study the report and make a decision. We should “examine” the report, that is, clearly state whether we agree with it as Parliament. When we make a final decision, with the final text, it is sent for a vote at the plenary session to see whether Parliament will accept it or not – added Kolář.
He stated that it is extremely important for the European Parliament to communicate with its partners in the Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
He pointed out that, in his opinion, Milorad Dodik is one of the reasons why reforms in Bosnia and Herzegovina are not going well.
– I do not know of any negotiations behind closed doors that might be taking place regarding Mr. Dodik. I am quite sure that the EU’s position as a whole remains the same. We have certain principles that we adhere to and from which we cannot deviate, because if we were to deviate from those principles, for example, from the rule of law, which is very important in this case, the whole process could simply be thrown in the trash. Again, speaking quite frankly, I think that Dodik is actually one of the reasons why reforms in BiH are not going well. I do not know if he even wants BiH to become part of the EU or if he wants it to be an isolated state or if he wants Bosnia and Herzegovina to disintegrate, and the Republic of Srpska to become part of Serbia. Who knows? But the game he is playing is not something that the EU as a whole, as I said, can accept. I know that there are countries, like Hungary, that somehow support Milorad Dodik, as it is part of their policy towards the European Union – to create chaos – noted Kolář.
He also emphasized that transparency is one of the fundamental principles and one of the foundations of democracy, and that it is particularly important in the context of electoral processes.
He mentioned that many politicians in the Western Balkans, but also in the European Union, do not understand what it means to be transparent and to communicate transparently with the public.
– If politicians are hiding something, then they cannot expect people to trust them, and transparency and trust go hand in hand. As long as politicians in candidate countries do not understand this, as long as they do not want to reform the electoral process to be completely transparent and that there is no way for it to be distorted in any way, then it will, of course, be very difficult to believe that they really want to become part of the democratic world. I think that is actually a challenge we share and on which we must work together. I definitely believe that we need to implement fundamental, stronger reforms – said Kolář.
He pointed out that people in Bosnia and Herzegovina must choose politicians who understand that Dayton is temporary, that it cannot last, and that it is actually slowing down the progress of this state, so BiH could be called some kind of protectorate.
When it comes to the chief negotiator of Bosnia and Herzegovina with the European Union, Kolář emphasizes that it must be a person who is an expert in translating the needs of the country as a whole, and not just one ethnic group.
– My fear is that politicians in Bosnia and Herzegovina often think within the framework of their own ethnic affiliation and somehow believe that they represent only one of the ethnic groups. If such an approach is applied in selecting the chief negotiator and if the chief negotiator is a person who believes that they speak only on behalf of one of the groups, whether Croats, Bosniaks, or Serbs, then the process will never move forward. I am not the one who should be lecturing BiH on which political body should choose that person. My only message, my only wish is for responsible politicians to understand that this person will speak on behalf of the whole country, and not just one of its parts – said Kolář.
Also, while talking to Bosnian journalists in Brussels, he mentioned that he fears that some politicians in Bosnia and Herzegovina are playing games with the European Union.
– When I look at the reports from the European Commission and what I have personally witnessed in BiH, I am not sure that those who say that reforms are being undertaken are truly sincere and that they themselves believe that reforms are even necessary, so I must say that I am very cautious here. Of course, dialogue is always necessary, whether it is within the country itself or externally, and in any case, it is needed to make progress. If there is no progress, dialogue should explain why progress has not been made, where we can then offer some assistance. The European Union is not here to make decisions instead of someone; we can only point to the right path or provide some guidelines, especially if the country is not an EU member – concluded Kolář. (27.11.)