After multiple delays, the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina finally held its session today, bringing long-awaited decisions. Two key reform laws, crucial conditions set by the European Union for Bosnia's progress on its European path, were adopted. We discussed these laws, their importance, and the next steps with Edin Forto, BiH Minister of Communications and Transport and leader of Our Party.

Forto was asked whether the adoption of these laws was a last-minute effort ahead of the EU-Western Balkans Summit and the European Council meeting.

“I know it’s more interesting to view these processes through constant deadlines set by the European Commission that we commit to. This is a long-term process in which we, as a state and administration, are learning to align with the EU. These two laws should have been passed a long time ago. I wouldn’t tie this to whether something happens in two or three days. We’ve adopted the laws, but there’s still much to do. If not in a few days, then in a month or two,” Forto told N1, adding:

“This is not a victory for meeting a deadline. We have already missed deadlines that other countries in the region met, securing the first tranches under the Growth Plan. We need to show we are capable of doing the same. The same applies to negotiations with the EU and fulfilling the alignment conditions,” Forto said.

After two postponements, today's session of the Council of Ministers saw the adoption of two crucial reforms required by the EU. Despite this, the question of who will represent Bosnia and Herzegovina at the EU-Western Balkans Summit remains unanswered.

“I don’t know if the Chairperson will attend; we haven’t discussed it. I think it would be appropriate for her to go. It’s not yet official who will represent us. I honestly haven’t thought about it because we were busy preparing for the Council session,” Forto replied.

One of the significant topics at the session was the adoption of draft laws on border control and personal data protection. Both laws will soon move to parliamentary debate. Asked whether there is enough support for their adoption in the House of Representatives and the House of Peoples, Forto responded optimistically:

“I sincerely hope there is. The agreement has been reached, and the text has been aligned by the state coalition. A working group has done an enormous job, particularly on the complex personal data protection law. Pedja Kojovic, representing the Troika in the group, worked tirelessly on this for a long time. The text was unanimously adopted by the Council of Ministers. I expect parliamentary majority support,” Forto told N1.

Tomorrow's summit will focus on further Western Balkan integration into the EU and implementing the Growth Plan. However, Forto noted that this crucial topic was not discussed at today's session.

“We didn’t discuss the Growth Plan at the Council session, but we had a working group on it. To be honest, we haven’t agreed on anything significant yet. There’s still no consensus on the Growth Plan,” Forto said.

Given that Bosnia and Herzegovina has already missed all deadlines for implementing the Growth Plan, journalists asked whether the next opportunity would come in March. Forto replied that the process should not focus exclusively on deadlines.

“I return to what I said at the beginning. It doesn’t matter if it was yesterday, today, or in ten days. This is a long-term process. The first deadline for the Western Balkans regarding the Growth Plan was missed. The sooner we complete this, the better for us,” Forto emphasized.

According to Forto, Bosnia and Herzegovina must demonstrate its ability to fulfill obligations and align with EU standards, regardless of imposed timeframes.