Where is Bosnia and Herzegovina on the way to the European Union? The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, ended her tour of the countries of the Western Balkans with a visit to the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Meetings with the highest government officials and discussions on the progress achieved. 14 priorities have been standing before us for a long time.
One of our obligations is the harmonization of visa policy with the European Union, which means the introduction of visas for third countries. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, this issue is also political, which makes it difficult for our country to take a unified position. Why will this, seemingly technical solution, be a training ground for discussion and a potential new brake on the EU road?
Reforms, conditions and priorities. There is a long but clear list of obligations and roles between the European Union and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The European Union sets the tasks, Bosnia and Herzegovina executes them, without exception. At least that’s how it should be. In practice, the processes are slow and difficult. Mostly in arrears. Next is the visa regime. It deviates from the European one. And harmonization with it implies the introduction of visas for citizens of third countries. Those from the risk group. Among them, Turkey, Russia and China.
“We have these more complicated political issues that, for sure, we don’t have agreement on at the moment. Therefore, Russia, Turkey first of all, China as one big power and some other countries are the subject of some political differences and I am not very optimistic that we will be able to fully harmonize in that area”, points out Elmedin Konaković, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“Some things in Bosnia and Herzegovina cannot pass due to the specific constitutional structure and are subject to additional political reconciliation. I believe that we will carry out visa harmonization on the issues of countries where we can reach an agreement within Bosnia and Herzegovina”, claims Nenad Nešić, Minister of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The European Union’s call to harmonize the visa regime remained in the shadow of divided views. This time, RS’s affection for Russia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina’s for Turkey, is accompanied by good multi-year cooperation. The visa regime spoils the image of friendly relations. However, in the accession process, the policy of the Union is a priority and a consciously accepted obligation ever since the signing of the Stabilization and Association Agreement. A document that does not tolerate moves against the European Union.
“It is our obligation to follow the foreign policy and not because someone is forcing us, but because we want it and we ask them to do so. We ask them to open negotiations, and then we say that we have a problem with something that we have already committed to, and that no one forced us to do,” says Saša Magazinović, president of the SDP Club in the House of Representatives of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Nevertheless, the complex political situation in the country and the economic justification of the visa-free regime could be a chance for Bosnia and Herzegovina to at least temporarily postpone visas. This is also what BH hopes for officials. At the same time, in the process of harmonization, regardless of the delay, they do not expect any consequences.
“I think there is also room for a reasoned negotiation with the EU on the phased introduction of it, especially because on our eastern side you have a country that harmonizes its visa policy with the EU to a very weak extent, so it does not seem to draw any excessive negative consequences because of that” , states political analyst Adnan Huskić.
“The European Union does not expect us to jump 15 meters far at once, but expects small advances. “I think that these developments are happening and I don’t think that this can threaten the visa-free regime of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina,” concludes Konaković.
The expectations of the European Union seem to be in line with the possibilities of Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, within the country, the offer and demands are disproportionate because the loud calls for the opening of negotiations and the acceleration of European integration are not followed by the realization of priorities. Instead of responding to the invitation of the European Union, he again hopes for understanding and, if possible, facilitation of the desired membership, Federalna reports.
