After months of negotiations, the state coalition on Thursday reached an agreement and accepted that SNSD leader Milorad Dodik would select the chief negotiator for talks with the European Union (EU). The situation is paradoxical and grotesque, especially considering his vile insults toward the EU.
Sometimes, it can be entirely unclear to citizens which path Dodik is taking regarding the EU. This week, he said the EU engages in “whorish business,” announced that Republika Srpska (RS) “might very soon abandon the EU path,” openly seeks to align this Bosnian and Herzegovinian (BiH) entity with BRICS – a group entirely opposite to the EU – and then suddenly fights tooth and nail to secure the role of chief negotiator.
A crucial role, a flawed approach
In order to try to bring these actions closer to citizens as precisely as possible, political analyst Tanja Topic explained in an interview that the role of chief negotiator is exceptionally important.
“This must be a person of integrity, someone who is thoroughly familiar with the process of EU integration, and who speaks English fluently. I believe that, in this case, the ethnic background of the individual is the least important aspect. However, we find ourselves in a vicious cycle where ethnicity determines the choice for such an important role. Personally, I think this is a wrong and flawed approach,” Topic said.
She agreed with the assessment that Dodik’s public stance toward the EU can seem highly confusing to citizens.
“After BiH received candidate status – which, let’s be honest, was gifted – Dodik became the biggest proponent of Euroscepticism. He initiated public moves aimed at steering BiH toward BRICS, which is a completely opposite direction. This speaks to the full extent of the controversy. At the same time, we heard statements from him and those close to him suggesting that without RS, the EU path would be blocked,” Topic recalled.
Nothing more than a bargaining tool
Topic argued that for Dodik, this is merely an excellent bargaining tool to secure and achieve what he needs.
Nonetheless, she noted that Dodik’s actions confuse not only European officials but also the domestic and international public.
“I think that today, the average citizen of BiH has no idea what Dodik wants regarding European integration. It’s all a reflection of his overall politics, where we constantly hear claims that BiH is an unsustainable state that should be dissolved. What’s surprising is that everyone, including state-level coalition partners, is part of this narrative, granting Dodik concessions and fulfilling his wishes every time,” Topic said.
She also touched upon what this will look like in practice. Many wonder how these negotiations will proceed – will one individual negotiate alone with EU representatives, will they have autonomy in decision-making, and so on?
Topic explained that the chief negotiator will have a team and deputies. However, based on the current functioning model, she believes they will not be independent but rather carry out the orders of whoever appointed them.
“The political leadership of RS will dictate this because they will be the ones selecting the person. It’s similar to the case of ambassadors – they don’t represent the state of BiH but their ethnic communities and the policies of the ruling parties. The level of trust we citizens have in the integrity of such individuals is very low, while their loyalty to those who appoint them will be exceptionally high,” she said.
Topic believes that this kind of politics of blackmail is nothing new or different from usual practices. She explained that we are always blocked until certain demands or wishes are fulfilled.
“This principle of blackmail applies to both domestic coalition partners and international stakeholders who hold functions in BiH. We’ve been witnessing this in our country for years,” she said.
She pointed out that state-level partners have shown the public that their primary focus is on distributing posts and resources, concluding that they “easily and quickly come to agreements on such matters.”
“All the reforms and optimism regarding the EU have been discarded because nothing has been done to start negotiations with the EU. They always act as if gifts are continually falling from the sky for them from the EU.”
Finally, she emphasized that an important moment in all of this was the last session of the House of Peoples, where the ruling coalition was outvoted.
“This specific threat, which could have jeopardized their power, motivated them to quickly conclude agreements and agree to various blackmail tactics and other demands,” Topic concluded, Klix.ba writes.
E.Dz.
