At the meeting of the Minister of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Nenad Nešić, with the representatives of the security agencies, the BiH negotiation team was formed for negotiations on the Cooperation Agreement with the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (FRONTEX).
The head of the negotiating team will be the director of the BiH Border Police, Mirko Kuprešaković, and his deputies are the assistant minister for general and border security, Ermin Pešto, and the adviser to the minister, Ljuban Panić.
Nešić reminded that operational cooperation with EUROPOL was previously established, and that this is the second significant task this year in order to approach European standards and EU integration.
“In this way, we become an important partner and part of the security system of the European Union,” Nešić emphasized.
When it comes to future negotiations, Nešić explained that Bosnia and Herzegovina has received a model agreement and that the negotiating team is faced with the challenge of including all the specificities of Bosnia and Herzegovina and its constitutional competences.
“It will be necessary for the EU to understand that the agreement must be refined with elements that take into account these specifics. I am primarily referring to the structure of the deployment of FRONTEX forces. In order to achieve an internal political compromise in Bosnia and Herzegovina, it is important for us that, in addition to the Border Police, members of FRONTEX are included and members of entity and cantonal MUPs,” said Nešić, and added:
“The second thing is the issue of immunity. It is acceptable for us that members of FRONTEX have immunity during the performance of their duties. The third thing is the question of our sovereignty and we will insist that the members of FRONTEX cannot undertake any actions without expressing our need for it, that is, they must act in accordance with the stated needs and tasks of our competent police bodies.”
In the end, he emphasized the importance of the integration processes that have begun, because in this way the safety of all citizens in our country is improved, but it also contributes to collective European security, BHRT reports.
