The European Parliament’s (EP) Rapporteur for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cristian Dan Preda, urged Bosnians on Thursday to convince their lawmakers to start working with the EU on the country’s path towards membership instead of trying to impose their own rules to the process.

After a meeting with Presidency member Sefik Dzaferovic, Preda told reporters it was of utmost importance for Bosnia to answer the additional questions the EU has sent after the country submitted its first batch of answers on the EU Questionnaire and criticized the local leaders.

“Unfortunately, over the past three years we were not able to convince our friends from the Bosnian Parliament to work with us,” Preda said.

Instead, they tried to impose rules applied in Bosnia in the work of the common body that coordinates the work of the two parliaments, he explained.

“This way they tried to transform the EU into a larger Bosnia and Herzegovina,” he said, arguing that it should be the other way around. “Bosnia and Herzegovina should become part of the EU.”

“We are waiting also for the answers to the new questions sent by the EU commission, because the candidate status will be granted after the opinion of the (European) Commission is written, and in order to write it, the EC needs the answers from Sarajevo,” Preda said.

The additional questions were sent in June 2018, he reminded, saying “That’s a little bit long.”

“I hope it will be solved before everything else,” he said.

The Union has adopted a report on Bosnia and Herzegovina but a joint commission that would be made of lawmakers from Bosnia and the EU has not yet been established. This commission is necessary for further work to be done.

Preda urged citizens to write letters to their lawmakers and urge them to speed it up.

He also said he discussed the necessity to form a government after the October election as soon as possible, saying everywhere else in the world that is what people do after elections.

“So do it! It’s January 2018!” he said.

Preda also spoke about the mass protests that erupted in Banja Luka after the murder of David Dragicevic. Protesters want the murderers to be found and appear in court.

“No political party was able to mobilise so many people as has this very sensitive case. So, be careful, politicians!” he warned.

“Something is happening in this society, people ask for justice, and it is important that the authorities in the country solve the problem,” he added, urging authorities to solve the case as soon as possible.