The Speaker of the House of Peoples of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH, and the President of the HDZ BiH and the HNS, Dragan Čović, stressed that the institution of the High Representative in BiH must be abolished, and he strongly rejected claims that Croats enjoy more rights than they are entitled to under the Constitution.
“We don’t care who the High Representative is. We have already changed eight of them and the institution of the High Representative must be abolished,” said Čović, emphasizing that all previous uses of the Bonn powers have caused absolute damage in BiH and motivated political actors to constant quarrels instead of seeking solutions.
Referring to the lack of will among Bosniak politicians to close the OHR, he assessed as paradoxical the advocacy of state sovereignty while at the same time handing over sovereignty to foreigners who impose laws and constitutions.
He emphasized that such a search for a civil state based on a national concept is a futile task in which a member of the Presidency has been imposed on Croats for 16 years.
Commenting on the statement by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of BiH Elmedin Konaković that Croats enjoy more rights than they are entitled to under the laws and the Constitution, Čović strongly rejected this thesis.
He recalled the usurpation of the position of the Croat member of the Presidency and attempts to elect delegates in the Houses of Peoples with predominantly Bosniak votes.
“Croats have much, much less than they are entitled to under the Constitution,” Čović emphasized, explaining that the model of equality from Mostar, which includes minimum and maximum national quotas, should have been applied at higher levels as well.
Referring to the question about the session of the House of Peoples and the adoption of two important European laws in the first reading, Čović emphasized that the Croatian side took over the presidency and two months ago set out with a clear plan to make up for what was missed in the last year and a half.
Answering the question about the doubts of delegate Marina Pendeš that the laws will pass in the second reading, Čović said that the House of Peoples will adopt the laws with amendments, and announced an urgent session of the House of Peoples PS BiH for July 27, which should be dedicated to the budget of BiH institutions.
Commenting on the statement of the Minister of Transport and Communications, Edin Forte, about the loss of multimillion-dollar funds from the Growth Plan due to the lack of an agreement on the reform agenda, the president of HDZ BiH assessed such behavior as unreasonable for an ordinary person.
He emphasized that any blockage of already agreed agreements with the European Union means a loss of 50 to 100 million euros.
“It’s not just about money, it’s more a matter of credibility and our credibility with friends and partners in the EU who have no interest in us anymore,” Čović warned.
He added that BiH still has friends, such as the seven ambassadors to BiH and the Government of the Republic of Croatia led by Andrej Plenković, who are encouraging domestic politicians to deliver results to Brussels so that the country does not remain on the sidelines while Ukraine and Moldova progress.
Referring to the adoption of the Resolution on Strengthening the Political Position of Croats in BiH in the Croatian Parliament, Čović welcomed the document, comparing it to previous declarations, saying that there is nothing new in this resolution, and stressed the constitutional obligation of the institutions of the Republic of Croatia to take care of Croats in BiH.
He thanked the Government of the Republic of Croatia for its great support throughout the decade of work, listing numerous infrastructure and economic projects such as the bridge in Gradiška, the road between Ravno and Slano, and the Southern Gas Interconnection, emphasizing that it is precisely Plenković’s merit that BiH is being discussed in European circles at all.
