Bosnia needs concrete and tangible reforms while any divisive rhetoric or initiative hampering the country's European path must be avoided, European Union's (EU) enlargement commissioner Johannes Hahn told Bosnia’s tripartite Presidency in a meeting they held in Brussels on Wednesday.
“The Commissioner welcomed the Presidents’ collective agreement to advance the EU perspective of Bosnia and Herzegovina as the strategic goal of their country, in line with Bosnia and Herzegovina citizens’ aspirations,” said a statement Hahn’s office issued after the meeting.
He urged them in this respect to use this consensus as the political basis to accelerate the necessary measures and reforms.
The three Presidency members, Milorad Dodik, Zeljko Komsic and Sefik Dzaferovic, each representing one of three ethnic major groups in the country, paid their first official visit abroad after assuming office in late November last year.
They first met on their two-day Brussels visit with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, who urged Bosnia’s political leaders to focus on the post-election government formation and delivery of answers to the European Commission’s Questionnaire as a final step towards the Commission’s opinion on Bosnia’s EU candidate status.
Commissioner Hahn reiterated the same. He called for swift government formation and delivery of harmonised replies to the Questionnaire “as soon as possible.”
“Transmitting these answers back will, however, not give Bosnia and Herzegovina automatically candidate status as such. The future Commission Opinion will be a comprehensive roadmap for deep reforms, which need to be adopted and implemented urgently, notably those in the field of rule of law and fundamental rights, where there are clear shortcomings at all levels,” said Hahn’s office.
In a meeting that was attended by EC President Jean-Claude Juncker, unannounced, the Presidency members voiced their commitment to Bosnia’s EU accession. A day before, in the meeting with Mogherini, they promised the required answers to the Questionnaire would be delivered within 30 days at the latest.
They asked for the EU’s support in accomplishing their goal.
The Presidency’s three also met European Council President Donald Tusk on their Brussels trip. The EU’s top official said the future of Bosnia and Herzegovina lies in a united Europe but the pace to get there depends solely on the country’s leadership “coming together for the common good of their citizens.”
The future of #BiH is in a united Europe. But the path and speed depends first and foremost on the country’s leadership coming together for the common good of their citizens. pic.twitter.com/T5DuDe0FOU
— Charles Michel (@eucopresident) January 30, 2019
Unlike many other domestic and foreign affairs, the country’s EU road is a topic the political stakeholders and leaders in Bosnia agree on with no exception. Although the country now lags behind other countries in the region in terms of its EU integration, the membership application that was formally submitted in February 2016 is hoped to result in a positive answer of EU institutions by November 1 this year, when the new Commission will take office.
