Johann Sattler, the Head of the Delegation of the European Union in Bosnia and Herzegovina, said that the recent decision on opening the accession talks between BiH and the EU is the biggest accomplishment in the post-war history of the country, stressing the importance of the joint efforts and reforms. He stressed the necessity to resume the reform process on the path towards the opening of the negotiating chapters. Pročitaj više
Speaking to N1, Sattler said that Bosnia and Herzegovina has now caught up with the rest of the countries in the stage of the negotiations for the EU membership. Since the beginning of 2023, he stressed, Bosnia and Herzegovina made a significant progress in terms of reforms, adopting crucial laws including those on public procurement and conflict of interests as well as the agreement on talks with Frontex agency.
Commenting on the reactions from Republika Srpska, Bosnia's Serb-majority entity, towards the latest decision of High Representative Christian Schmidt regarding the electoral legislation, Sattler said that Bosnia and Herzegovina has a clear legislative framework i.e. the regulations that concern the elections.
Schmidt’s decision amending electoral legislation welcomed in one part of Bosnia, objected in other
It is completely clear that the Central Election Commission is in charge of the election process and it will remain like that in the future, said the EU ambassador.
As for the technical changes to the Election Law that were imposed by Schmidt, he said this was made in the interest of the citizens of BiH – for the election process being more fair, the Central Election Commission more professional and independent, and for the election boards to operate more efficiently.
European Union, Sattler stressed, has been providing support towards that goal.
According to him, the High Representative's intervention is linked to what the political leaders earlier discussed.
As for its essence, the law is adequate and will hopefully lead to the improvements in October already but also in the 2026 elections, stressed Sattler.
Commenting on the use of the High Representative's executive powers known as the Bonn powers, Sattler said that there is no democracy in the world that has such an instrument at disposal and, since this is an extraordinary instrument, it requires a caution.
The tool was introduced for justified reasons, according to him, but local institutions need to take over the responsibility. It is a measure of last resort that is used at the end of the road, when reaction is needed, said Sattler.
Brussels: Extensive international supervision is incompatible with the European future of BiH
From our point of view, the process regarding the Election Laws was still underway and it is important to say that a domestic process was ongoing, he added.
According to him, it is possible to reach a solution on the Election Law that would satisfy the interests of all parties in the talks. He particularly emphasised the need to implement the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR)'s decisions.
The solutions are possible and it is obvious from the Mostar example, he noted, reiterating that there is a room for compromise among the political parties.
It has been 15 years since the ECHR's ruling in ‘Sejdic-Finci vs BiH’ case and this is an issue that will not disappear, said Sattler referring to the court decision that concerns the discrimination in the election process.
To become an EU member state, the Bosnian authorities will have to harmonise the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina with the EU policies, as each and every member state had to do. 
Sattler also spoke about the cooperation between the US and the EU in regard with Bosnia's EU path.
He said that, although there might bee certain differences, both the EU and the US agree on many matters especially those of strategic importance for the Western Balkans and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The EU ambassador expressed respect towards the partnership of the EU and the US, stressing that through their joint efforts it is possible to make significant progress.
The US and the EU are liberal democracies and agree on the most important issues, especially when it comes to the perspectives of Bosnia and Herzegovina. They both, according to Sattler, want to see Bosnia and Herzegovina move from the Dayton to Brussels stage, which will eventually result in the EU membership.
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