Brussels, 28/11/2012 (Agence Europe) - Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Füle expressed his disappointment on Tuesday 27 November at the lack of progress made by Bosnia and Herzegovina on the way to EU accession.
“I regret that the whole region is moving ahead towards the European Union but that Bosnia and Herzegovina is lagging behind”, he stated at the opening of the second meeting of the high-level dialogue between the EU and Bosnia and Herzegovina, even though, at the start of the year, Sarajevo had claimed: “2012 will be the Year for Europe in Bosnia and Herzegovina”. “The representatives of Bosnia and Herzegovina have not been able to honour the main commitments they have taken on themselves at our first dialogue meeting in June”, the commissioner said (see EUROPE 10644). It is still possible to meet the terms of the roadmap, he said, adding that the coming into force of the stabilisation and association agreement and submission of a credible request for accession remain realistic prospects so long as the political will is there to reach consensus and take definite action.
One of the priorities is political agreement on applying the European Court of Human Rights' Sejdic/Finci ruling, that is needed to bring discrimination against minorities to an end. Bosnia pledged to bring forward a bill by 31 August amending the constitution so as to comply with this ruling. “A credible application for EU membership cannot be submitted before this is done”, the commissioner pointed out, with the coming into force of the stabilisation and association agreement also dependent on progress in this area.
Putting in place coordination mechanisms for engagement with the EU and making effective use of pre-accession aid remain key priorities, Füle said, noting that fully functioning institutions are needed after a request for accession has been lodged, when the difficult period of the accession process begins. He pointed out the importance of effective coordination between the various levels of power on European issues on this most decentralised state.
Reform has to be undertaken, too, in terms of the rule of law, in the legal, economic and social systems, and this includes reform of the legal system. Definite measures to address urgent socio-economic issues are also needed as is progress on the electricity transmission system, Füle added. He was unhappy, too, that the difficulties with Croatia, such as the export of animal products from Bosnia to Croatia and the EU, had yet to be resolved. “For several years, we have provided expertise and warned that serious preparations ahead of Croatia's accession were needed but to no avail”, complained the commissioner. A further trilateral meeting between Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and the EU is scheduled for December. (CG/transl.fl)