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The EU warns politicians in BiH to get serious

by AI | 03.Jan 2025 | Europe in brief AI

The EU envoy in Bosnia and Herzegovina warns local politicians not to miss another year for implementing reforms necessary for rapprochement with the Union.

Sarajevo, 25 October 2024 President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and Chairwoman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina Borjana Krišto. Photo: EPA/HAZIM ALJOVIC

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SARAJEVO – Head of the European Union delegation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Luigi Soreca, called on politicians in that country on Friday to get serious and seize the year 2025 to achieve long-awaited progress on the path to EU membership, warning them that they must not allow it to be another year of missed opportunities.

In a special column, Soreca reminded how the first months of 2024 were encouraging as the country adopted important reforms, leading to the green light from the European Council to open accession negotiations, but immediately after that, there were delays and blockades, so negotiations are not yet in sight.

He emphasized that, in addition to failing to fulfill their own promises to continue adopting reform laws, the authorities in BiH were unable to agree on a reform plan that would enable them to activate one billion euros of financial aid for that country under the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans.

“During 2024, we also witnessed unacceptable threats to the constitutional order of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which the democratic world unanimously condemned,” said Soreca, who, in addition to being an ambassador, also serves as the EU’s special representative for BiH.

He described the behavior of Bosnian-Herzegovinian politicians as disappointing, accusing them of acting contrary to the interests of citizens.

Alluding to discussions in BiH about whether it still needs a high representative with executive powers, which politicians from the Republic of Srpska particularly oppose, Soreca stated that extensive international supervision in Bosnia and Herzegovina was never meant to be permanent, but the current situation is such that it is necessary.

The conditions for closing the Office of the High Representative (OHR), he explicitly stated, have not been met, so as the country makes strides on the European path, it can be expected that “priority will be given to domestic solutions.”

He emphasized that responsibility for this lies exclusively with the local politicians. (January 3, 2025)

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