On the evening of Wednesday, 17 June, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell and Commissioner for Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi welcomed the agreement reached earlier that day between Bosnian and Croatian political leaders on the electoral law for the city of Mostar, which has not held municipal elections since 2008.
Mr Borrell and Mr Várhelyi emphasised that they were looking forward to the swift adoption of the corresponding legislative amendments by the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina in accordance with the prescribed procedure.
“[We] urge the governing majority to ensure all necessary conditions are met for the municipal elections to take place throughout the country, including the adoption of the budget”, they added in a joint statement. Municipal elections are scheduled for 15 November.
Holding municipal elections in Mostar is one of the 14 priorities set by the EU before a decision is made regarding Bosnia and Herzegovina’s EU membership application (see EUROPE 12266/3).
More generally, the high representative and the commissioner reiterated that “election-related issues should be addressed in line with European standards” and that the country must implement OSCE recommendations. They cautioned that no legislative or policy measures should be taken that would make it more difficult to implement the Sejdić-Finci ruling and related rulings. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)