The European Parliament (EP) expressed concern over a slowdown in the implementation of reforms in Bosnia and called for the swift formation of authorities following the October 2018 general election, according to a report the European Union (EU) top institution adopted on Wednesday.
The report which assesses the progress Bosnia and Herzegovina has lately made on the road to possible accession to the EU warned that since mid-2017 there was “a noticeable slowdown” in the adoption of EU-related reforms, despite the country's commitment to it.
The country formally applied for membership in February 2016 and is now about to submit the final answers to the European Commission's Questionnaire as a part of the process preceding the EU's opinion on the country's application.
Following a recent visit to the EU headquarters in Brussels, Bosnia's State Presidency expressed a wish for the candidate status to be approved by November 1, when the new Commission will take office.
But a stalemate in the reform implementation may hinder that goal.
“The European Parliament reiterates the need for Bosnia and Herzegovina to proceed with constitutional, political and electoral reforms to transform the country into a fully effective, inclusive and functional state based on the rule of law,” said the report which was adopted with 468 votes. 123 MEPs voted against it and 83 abstained.
The EP remains a strong supporter of Bosnia's EU integration but the country must prove its commitment to that goal, said Special Rapporteur for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cristian Dan Preda, who prepared the report.
He also pointed out that the post-election government formation must be completed soon.
“Authorities at all levels must swiftly be formed so that work can restart on a set of new EU-oriented reforms, both economic but also political reforms,” he said, adding, “If Bosnia and Herzegovina wants to obtain candidate country status soon, it needs to show not only committment to the EU path, but also concrete results.”
EU lawmakers also addressed political leaders and institutions in Bosnia, asking them to show responsibility while assessing the wartime events of the 1990s and said the Parliament “deplores any kind of glorification of persons convicted of crimes against humanity.”
While addressing the EP a day before during a discussion on the document, European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Commissioner Johannes Hahn said the report comes at a critical moment when the country's newly elected leaders need to translate their commitment into reforms.
Hahn said the Commission is “fully dedicated to advancing Bosnia and Herzegovina's EU perspective,” and announced that the upcoming Commission's opinion on Bosnia's membership application will provide a comprehensive roadmap of reforms for the country to carry out.
“The Commission will continue to support Bosnia and Herzegovina as we believe that the future of this country lies in the EU,” said Hahn.
