The European Parliament's rapporteur for BiH, Paoulo Rangel, presents the report on BiH to the Committee on Foreign Affairs on Wednesday. Pročitaj više

“Thirty years ago, a tragic war began in BiH and three decades later we are witnessing tensions that make it impossible for the country to move towards Euro-Atlantic integration. They threaten the territorial integrity of the country and the constitutional order and equal rights of all citizens,” said Rangel, adding that electoral reforms must be implemented.

“In this report, we highlighted two key issues that are the main obstacles that are the main obstacle to meeting the 14 priorities:

The first priority is the secessionist rhetoric of representatives of the political elite in the RS and their withdrawal from the institutions and the fact that there is no will to reach an agreement on the reform of the Election Law. Addressing these issues would allow for the further reforms sought in the text.” he said.

“That is why in the draft report we ask all actors to reach an agreement on the Election Law. Elections must be held according to a defined calendar. The report also calls on the European Union to use all the tools at its disposal, including targeted sanctions against destabilizers. EU IPA funding must be strictly defined, provided that RS representatives return to state institutions. Amendments to the Criminal Code that will punish genocide denial must be included in the Criminal Code,” he said in his introductory speech, after which the debate in the European Parliament began.

Dietmar Koster, MEP, had an amendment to Rangel's Draft Report on BiH for which he said “I am sorry that you mention the concept of constituent peoples in the report. We want every person to have the same rights, regardless of ethnicity. One man, one vote.”