Croatian FM expects Bosnia to step up its EU integration

NEWS 13.08.202316:16 0 komentara
Gordan Grlić Radman (JOHANNA GERON / POOL / AFP)

Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic-Radman said on Sunday he expected Bosnia and Herzegovina to start making faster progress on its European journey by the end of the year, and Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik and other political actors to contribute to the country's political stability.

Grlic-Radman was visiting Livno, southwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina, where he met with Bosnian Prime Minister Borjana Kristo to dicsuss the implementation of reforms that would enable the continuation of Bosnia's integration with the EU.

“We expect all relevant political factors to start making BiH's European journey faster by the end of the year. The continuation of the Euro-Atlantic integration process is crucial for BiH's stability and functionality. In that process it will have full support from the Croatian government,” Grlic-Radman told the local media.

At a recent joint session of the two countries’ governments a framework for cooperation in the process of BiH's European integration was agreed, he recalled.

An unavoidable part of the reforms on BiH's journey to the EU is amendment of the country's electoral law and limited constitutional changes “so that Croats can have their legitimate political representatives at all levels of government, as guaranteed by the Washington and Dayton peace agreements and the BiH Constitution,” he said.

Grlic-Radman said this meant the removal of any discrimination in the election process in line with the BiH Constitutional Court's ruling in the Ljubic case and the European Court of Human Rights’ rulings in several cases, the best known being the Sejdic-Finci case.

Asked about the indictment against Republika Srpska entity President Milorad Dodik over non-compliance with decisions by the international community's High Representative to BiH, Christian Schmidt, Grlic-Radman said that he expected a constructive attitude from Dodik to BiH institutions.

“We expect all political actors to contribute to BiH's stability and functionality considering the extremely difficult geopolitical situation, caused by the Russian aggression against Ukraine,” he said.

During the day, the Croatian minister also met with representatives of the Croat community in Bugojno.

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