Outgoing ambassador of the European Union (EU) in Bosnia and Herzegovina Lars-Gunnar Wigemark said on Wednesday he regretted the fact that Bosnia's Presidency session scheduled for Tuesday was cancelled, which led to a new delay in the state-level government formation.
“It's been ten months and the government hasn't been formed yet, it is necessary to think about the general interest of citizens,” Wigemark told media in the northern city of Banja Luka.
The EU understands the government formation is linked to other issues such as the country's road to NATO, said the ambassador, stressing that nobody speaks about the membership at the moment.
The Presidency was set to hold two separate sessions, a regular one and a special session on the appointment of the prime minister-designate and the adoption of the disputed document for the NATO.
Although the leaders of three strongest nationalist parties signed earlier this month an agreement that among other things stipulates the principles to form the government, the statements they gave in the following days showed the deal was not likely to be implemented within 30 days, as agreed.
The leaders of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD), the Croat Democratic Union (HDZ BiH) and the Party of Democratic Action (SDA) put the signatures on the document agreed last week in presence of ambassador Wigemark.
The country's road to NATO which was vaguely mentioned in the leaders’ agreement is a stumbling stone and has been preventing the government formation in the past ten months after the general election was held.
While Bosniak and Croat representatives support the membership, the Serb political leadership is against it and is resolute in maintaining the stance on military neutrality.
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The recently reached agreement is a good ground and once the government is formed, Wigemark said, the authorities will have to implement it.
Like every other political agreement, he stressed, this one is also subject to various interpretations, but what's important is that the leaders sit together and talk, trying to reach an agreement.
“I think there's no need to dramatise any of these issues. There's no room for that,” said Wigemark, the EU Special Representative and Head of the EU Delegation in Bosnia.
During the Tuesday visit to Banja Luka, the EU official held a farewell meeting with Radovan Viskovic, the Prime Minister of Bosnia's Republika Srpska entity, which is seated in that city.
Both officials pointed out the necessity to form the authorities at the state level and in Bosnia's Federation entity as soon as possible, as a prerequisite of further advancement of the country on the road to EU.
