Brussels, 21/11/2005 (Agence Europe) - On the tenth anniversary of the singing of the Dayton/Paris Peace Agreement, EU foreign ministers meeting on 21 November under the chairmanship of UK foreign minister Jack Straw authorised the European Commission to launch negotiations on a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with Bosnia Herzegovina 'at the earliest opportunity'. This makes Bosnia Herzegovina the last Balkan state to open SAA talks with the EU, after Albania, Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), and Serbia and Montenegro. European Commission sources suggest that nothing now stands in the way of talks beginning before the end of this month. Negotiations are expected to be concluded by the end of 2006, but the Council on Monday said in its conclusions that this would depend on the speed with which Bosnia Herzegovina passes and implements the necessary reforms to become a 'fully functioning and viable state', in other words, on progress in developing its legislative framework and administrative capacity, the implementation of police reform in compliance with the October 2005 agreement on police restructuring, the adoption and implementation of all necessary public broadcasting legislation; and full cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).
Ministers called on Bosnia Herzegovina to take 'decisive action to ensure that all fugitive indictees, notably Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadzic, are finally brought to justice.' 'The Council agreed to strengthen the EU Special Representative's role in coordinating all its instruments in Bosnia Herzegovina, and invited the EUSR to maintain an overview of the EU's efforts to strengthen the rule of law'. The Council reviewed the EU Police Mission and the EU Military Operation, Althea, on completion of its 'successful first year. The Council welcomed the positive contribution of the operation to ensuring a safe and secure environment in Bosnia Herzegovina and confirmed that a continuing EU military presence remained at this stage essential to that end. It noted that the operation was a practical example of the strategic partnership with NATO in crisis management. It approved the SG/HR's recommendations (Javier Solana, Ed.) that force levels should remain broadly unchanged for the coming year and that decision on the future size and structure of EUFOR should be based on an assessment of conditions on the ground. The Council furthermore confirmed that EUFOR should retain its tasks for the coming six months. Sustained progress within the Stabilisation and Association process, and an assessment of the impact of elections in 2006 will allow Ministers then to consider options for the future presence of EUFOR in Bosnia Herzegovina.'