Bosnian parliament's upper chamber failed to adopt a proposal of law on conflict of interests in the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, one of 14 priorities set by the European Commission in response to the country's EU membership application.

Namely, the House of Peoples members adopted a negative opinion of the Constitutional-legal Commission on the law proposal, filed by the House of Representatives.

Speaker Dragan Covic said, citing the rules of procedures, that “if the House of Peoples accepts the opinion of the Constitutional-legal Commission or a competent commission, the proposed law will be considered rejected.”

“That's the status of this law following the vote,” he said.

Eight of 15 MPs voted in favour of the Commission's negative opinion, while seven voted against.

Bosniak MP Denis Becirovic said during the discussion that this is one of three soo-called European laws that both the European Commission and public in Bosnia and Herzegovina expects.

“Formally and declaratively there is readiness to go towards European integration, but it is interesting that anytime there is a specific law we need to support in the Parliament, it is rejected, it always is rejected,” he stressed.

Becirovic also said that the House of Peoples, the Bosnian public and the European Union should hear the reasons why the competent commission objected the law proposal.

“I expect to hear the arguments why we cannot adopt one of the laws that Bosnia and Herzegovina desperately needs,” he added.

No member of the Constitutional-legal Commission responded to Becirovic's questions.