France reaffirms its support for the goal of constitutional and electoral reform in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This reform must enable equitable representation of all components of the country as well as equality and non-discrimination of all BiH citizens, especially through the implementation of verdicts of the European Court of Human Rights, the Ambassador of France to BiH Christine Toudic said Wednesday.

According to the Ambassador, the constitutional and electoral reform is essential to BiH's European perspective, which France fully supports.

She noted that the implementation of the Sejdic/Finci verdict of the European Court of Human Rights, the recommendations of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the relevant recommendations of the Venice Commission are among the 14 key priorities identified by the European Commission in its opinion on BiH's application for EU membership.

“The time to reach an agreement so that the reform could be implemented for the next general elections in October, within which there will be no discriminatory provisions and which guarantees greater transparency of the process, is running out. We support the joint efforts of the European Union and the United States to reach a compromise in this regard,” Toudic said.

The French Ambassador also pointed out that a compromise between each of the participating parties is necessary for the reform to be adopted in the Parliament.

“We understand that in this phase, both sides have taken actions in that direction. We should continue in this spirit of constructive dialogue. France does not have a special electoral model in mind, the only imperative is that the reform is not in conflict with European norms.

Therefore, it is up to the participating parties to find a solution through constructive and open dialogue for a compromise that will receive sufficient support to be adopted in Parliament and that will bring BiH closer to the EU. In this regard, we rely on the advice of experts from the Venice Commission and the ODIHR at the OSCE. Their presence in the discussions is an important guarantee for us,” the Ambassador said in a statement.

She also emphasized the importance of adopting an “integrity improvement package”. This reform, which is supported by all BiH citizens, Toudic said, would show that BiH is capable of implementing the reforms necessary for its progress on the path to joining the European Union.