Covic: House of Peoples session on June 30, European integration laws at emergency session

According to Covic, the session would include all agreements, reports, appointments, and initiatives that are not disputed by any office, totaling approximately 100 agenda items.

''The obligation of the three Collegium members was to once again assess whether we could include anything else that had previously been disputed, which had caused sessions to be interrupted, abandoned, and left without a quorum,'' Covic said.

He announced that a second regular session should be held by mid-July, with an agenda focused on laws that have been pending for some time and are also undisputed.

Covic added that they plan to convene two emergency sessions dedicated to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s European path and European legislation.

''The Law on the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council (HJPC) and the Law on the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina should be addressed in a single emergency session. Likewise, the 2026 state budget. If it enters the procedure, I believe we will also adopt the budget in the House of Peoples by mid-July,'' he said.

He added that this would allow the institution to focus only on remaining disputed issues, including several laws and initiatives that have long caused disagreements, especially regarding dismissals.

Covic expressed confidence that the Collegium would continue to work cooperatively and that no session would be convened unless all three members of the Collegium, representing the country’s three constituent peoples, are able to attend.

Commenting on the current political situation, Covic described it as highly challenging.

He emphasized the importance of advancing Bosnia and Herzegovina’s European integration, mentioning the two European laws and the country’s effort not to fall behind initiatives related to Ukraine and Moldova coming from the European Union.

''We must make the first step ourselves, and that is why I believe there will be an emergency session on European laws, perhaps also regarding negotiators - we will see how that develops,'' Covic said.

He also noted that an initiative launched following the resignation of the High Representative could become significant in the coming period.

''We will see how it ends. There is very little time left for the parties to reach an agreement through the Peace Implementation Council. There are differing views between the United States and the European Union, and without speculating, it seems to me that by our June 30 session this issue should somehow be behind us'' Covic said.

He added that many unresolved issues continue to burden internal stability, particularly in terms of security and economic developments.

''Although this is a pre-election period, we will try to separate election-related activities from the work that should be done at the level of the Council of Ministers and both houses of Parliament. The House of Peoples will make a full contribution to creating the atmosphere needed for all citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina so that we can work in a completely different environment over the coming months,'' Covic stated.

He stressed the need for a partnership-based approach, noting that with only 15 delegates in the House of Peoples, many issues could be resolved through dialogue.

Covic added that the June 30 session should not be controversial for anyone and that the time before then would be used to harmonize the disputed laws.

Regarding the two European integration laws, he said they would be placed on one of the first emergency sessions.

''These two agenda items - the Law on the HJPC and the Law on the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina - will not go through an urgent procedure. They have already been agreed under an expedited procedure. In other words, no one should have a problem discussing these legislative solutions in first reading, because amendments can still be made if there is room for that,'' Covic explained.