A renowned Bosnian journalist and a Brussels correspondent Elvir Bucalo spoke to N1 about the situation in Bosnia and the European integration process of Bosnia. Bucalo also touched upon the upcoming EU-Western Balkans Summit in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Bucalo told N1 that the Summit is not an enlargement summit but a summit where participants will discuss infrastructure projects. Bosnian citizens will feel the positive results of this Summit, not because the Bosnian politicians brought those positive results to them, but because Europe had realized they should work on connecting the people from the Western Balkans and the EU.

Croatia, Turkey and Russia are the top foreign players in Bosnia and Herzegovina right now and Bucalo was asked to comment whether Bosnia has more good or harm from these states.  

“Croatia has a double role in this. They have an internal political interest, but Croatia will soon preside over the EU. I wouldn’t get into what other states are doing in Bosnia,” Bucalo said.  

However, Bucalo added that Bosnian leaders can help Bosnia the most. The European officials told the Bosnian citizens and Bosnian leaders to focus on reforms but they also said that Bosnia has an electoral process and that the citizens should vote for the best representatives.  

Bosnian tripartite Presidency Chairman Bakir Izetbegovic said recently that Bosnia is entering a 10-year period when the country should fulfil all the EU standards and become a country shaped according to the wishes of its citizens.  

Bucalo said that similar statements can be heard in the neighbouring countries.  

“What else can they say? They are holding to power by giving promises that things will get better if they remain in power. In some other countries, it is completely irrelevant who the president is,” Bucalo concluded.