The leaders of the parties of the state coalition are ready for a new round of negotiations. Already this Monday. The host of the meeting is Dragan Čović. There are many issues on which an agreement must be reached, there is very little consensus among the leaders – especially on the topics announced as the focus of the talks, which are the Law on Courts and the Election Law. Both of these are specific conditions for an agreement on the laws that the European Union has put before Bosnia and Herzegovina. The meeting comes at a time of new announcements of conditioning and blockades from the RS. If you ask the leaders, they are satisfied with what has been done so far, but it is also very clear to them that their priorities are not the same.
After the HDZ BiH Presidency session, Čović will also receive partners with whom he forms the majority in the state government in Mostar. The last meeting in Sarajevo, hosted by representatives of the Troika (The Coalition of Three) did not produce any agreements. The participants called it preparatory for this one in Mostar, where the key points on the agenda seem to be the Election Law and the Law on the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“I think we will come very close to those laws that are defined as election laws – an important strategic one for the Croatian people, but also strategic in general, as well as the Law on the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina,” said Čović, president of the HDZ of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
SNSD President Milorad Dodik pointed out that the center of all discussions will be the Constitutional Court and the Election Law: “I don’t think we will be able to move forward until we resolve those two issues.” It’s not a threat at all.”
Working groups for both laws have been formed. The requirements from the RS for the Constitutional Court are clear, but we do not yet know what solutions are proposed by the Federation. Amendments to the Electoral Law were announced by the end of the year, and some media announced that the leaders will primarily change the method of electing members of the CEC of BiH. Instead of the BiH House of Representatives, candidates will now be proposed by a joint committee of both houses of the state parliament. They don’t even mention the Law on Courts now, but it should have been a priority. He says – such a priority order has already been signed. The Troika say that they are ready for negotiations, but that they will not agree to conditions.
“I would like to remind Dodik and fellow partners in the government that we have a signed position on which we, the presidents of the parties, put our initials – a document stating that the law on courts will be adopted. They have to or they will end up cheating on what they signed,” reminds NiP president Elmedin Konaković.
The president of the SDP, Nermin Nikšić, notes that, on behalf of the Troika, they are still coming to every meeting as they used to: “Ready to talk, ready to compromise, not ready to blackmail someone or have someone blackmail us, we are ready to demand solutions to all open issues”.
Nikšić claims that with the adoption of priority laws, with the one adopted so far, negotiations on membership with the European Union would be closer. And they expect financial aid to be announced soon for the countries of the Western Balkans. The president of the SNSD, whose members in the Council of Ministers of BiH and the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH are once again clearly setting the conditions and prioritizing the Law on the Constitutional Court of BiH, says that they will ask to add the adoption of a joint declaration on the sovereignty of BiH to the agenda of the meeting, which they will forward to the BiH Parliamentary Assembly: “They are constantly talking about territorial integrity here in the Federation and sovereignty. Here, I will propose that declaration of sovereignty. And that means that there is no high representative, that means that there are no judges of the Constitutional Court. If you want a sovereign. If you will not – then admit that you are poltroons and then admit that you are subjects, that you are not sovereign”.
The fate of the declaration, the diplomats in BiH, the law on courts, the law on conflict of interest, the law on the Constitutional Court, the Election Law of BiH – in short, the fate of all priorities is in the hands of the leaders of the ruling parties. The progress of Bosnia and Herzegovina on the way to the European Union, receiving international aid, but also the way of working in state institutions depends on their ability to reach an agreement and solutions, and finally, most importantly, the quality of life of the citizens of BiH depends on their agreement, Federalna reports.
