EU: Any action against BiH's sovereignty will lead to consequences

“We have commented several times that the recent legal act adopted in the Republika Srpska undermine the constitutional and legal order of Bosnia and Hergovina and also the functionality of the country's institutions and also threatens the fundamental freedoms of citizens, and these actions also contradict Bosnia and Herzegovina's commitments that Bosnia has taken on its EU path”, she said.
Hipper then mentioned Milorad Dodik, the president of the RS who is the subject of a central arrest warrant in BiH.

“Then when it comes to Dodik, we have also expressed ourselves clearly we have emphasized the sovereignty, territorial integrity and constitutional order and international personality of Bosnia and Herzegovina that need to be respected, and any action against these principles will lead to consequences”.

She stressed that “the EU integrity is the best guarantee of prosperity and stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina”.

Guillaume Mercier, Spokesperson for Enlargement, International Partnerships and the Mediterranean at the European Commission, stated that “”accession to the EU is a merit-based process and each candidate is assessed on their own progress towards meeting all the the criteria”.

“So in the case of Bosnia Herzegovina, the country should continue its efforts to take all the relevant steps as set out in the Commission's recommendation of October 2022”, he said.

He noted that between November 2023 and the commission's report in March 2024, BiH was able to make “tangible results”.

“So this paves the way for the for the council's decision to open the negotiations with Bosnia and Hercegovina and now the commission is in the process of preparing the negotiating framework, but for this to happen we need BiH to take all the relevant steps set out as I said in the commission's 2022 recommendation. So now we encourage BiH to return to such a positive dynamic”.

He highlighted two reforms that need to be implemented: the adoption of the law on courts and the law on the high judicial and prosecutorial council.

“We also asked BiH to appoint operational chief negotiator and a negotiating team, so it's very important for us that BiH can speak with one voice in the context of further EU accession negotiations, and we also expect BiH to appoint a national IPA coordinator and finalize the national program for the adoption of the acquis”, he said.