Bosnia and Herzegovina is the only Western Balkan country for which the European Commission has not yet approved the reform program necessary for access to a €6 billion fund under the Growth Plan for the region, but the country still hopes the Commission may change its mind, blaming the blockades on Russian influence.
Speaking ahead of the visit by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Foreign Minister Elmedin Konakovic said on Thursday they expect to receive additional explanations from her why the Commission on Wednesday gave the “green light” to the reform programs of Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia, but not Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The governments of the five countries submitted documents to the European Commission undertaking to implement socioeconomic and fundamental reforms in order to encourage growth and get closer to EU membership under the Growth Plan 2024-2027.
Bosnia and Herzegovina was also invited to submit such a plan, but because of its complicated administrative structure and non-functioning government coalition, it managed to agree on 111 of 113 required reforms.
The Serb entity of Republika Srpska (RS) has persistently refused the request from Brussels that its parliament finally appoint the two remaining judges of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and to abolish the entity's veto on decisions made by the State Aid Council, an autonomous body that approves the distribution of funds and monitors their expenditure.
The refusal by the RS served as an excuse for four cantons in the Bosniak-Croat Federation entity, in which the Bosniak-majority Party of Democratic Action (SDA) is in power, to withhold their consent to the reform program, as a result of which the whole country found itself in “a dead end” regarding access to the fund from which at least €1 billion could be received to encourage reforms.
Konakovic said they hoped the European Commission would still agree to the incomplete reform program.
“I think they should have and will take into account the effort we made in agreeing 111 measures, which is a great step forward considering the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” he told the press in Sarajevo.
He said that the present blockades were at least partly the result of Russian influence on RS politicians, in particular RS President Milorad Dodik.
FM: Moscow leads against the EU, while Bosnia and Herzegovina pays the price
Konakovic said they now expected Brussels either to take into account the specificities of Bosnia and Herzegovina or to tell them how to deal with the Russian influence that stands in the way of the country's progress to EU membership.
“Thus Moscow leads against the EU, while Bosnia and Herzegovina pays the price,” Konakovic said.
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