Changes to the Constitution are necessary in Bosnia so it becomes a modern country, the Croat member of Bosnia’s tripartite Presidency said in a lecture he gave at the Zagreb University in Croatia on Tuesday.

Covic spoke as part of a lecture under the name “Euroatlantic integration of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Croatia”, after the University awarded him an honorary doctorate.

“A change of the (Bosnian) Constitution is necessary for a transformation into a modern society, a just state and with that, one that attracts investors,” he said.

Covic said that there is a need for an agreement on a mechanism that would enable the results of the upcoming October general election to be implemented, and it must ensure that those elected are legitimate representatives of the peoples living in the country.

Bosnia’s political leaders have been unable to find an agreement on changes to the country’s Election Law since the Constitutional Court declared it unconstitutional in 2016. The case was brought forth by Bosnian Croat politician Bozo Ljubic, who argued that Croat influence in cantons with a majority Bosniak population was unfairly diminished in the selection of delegates and that it allows Bosniaks to elect the Croat member of the Presidency.

The Court sided with Ljubic and later erased certain sections of the law. It is still unclear how the upcoming election results are to be implemented, until a solution is agreed on.

Covic said that the relationship between Bosnia and Croatia is good, but that it can always be better. Apart from emotional and demographic reasons, there are many practical reasons for relations between the two countries to improve, he said, such as the long border the two countries share and their economic cooperation.

He also spoke about Bosnia’s path toward the EU and NATO.

“Without a positive stance in regard to the euroatlantic path, we will forever remain within this grayness, this is why I put special emphasis on the support that we got from the Republic of Croatia until now, with a special role played by their representatives in the European Parliament, led by current (Croatian) Prime Minister (Andrej) Plenkovic,” he said.

“The European path has no alternative. Both for Bosnia and Herzegovina and for the Republic of Croatia, a fast integration of Bosnia into the European family is key,” he concluded.