Over 40 political actors from Bosnia and Herzegovina went to Brussels for the second political forum under the chairmanship of European Commissioner for Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi. Among the representatives were partners who make up the government in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The President of Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik says that it was constructive, but that the RS has a clear position on how it sees BiH as part of the European Union.
Dodik said that the meeting was an opportunity to discuss plans that are important for the EU and BiH.
“It is a story that the European Council is debating that BiH should deliver the status of negotiator and that, in this respect, a new process of joining BiH to the EU should begin. We from the RS said that this path is not disputed, but the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina must be respected and the decisions that are made should be part of an internal agreement, not foreigners who do it. At the meeting, the will of the people from the European Commission was expressed, who are providing 6 billion for the Balkan countries with a package for the development of infrastructure and projects of adaptation to EU standards. Representatives of partners at the BiH government level were here,” said Dodik.
He says that they have serious problems with their partners in the BiH government.
“We have serious setbacks in dynamics. We passed five or six laws and when it came to the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina there was a deadlock. We can talk, and that is that the Appeals Council has its seat in Banja Luka and with that the Law on Prevention of Money Laundering, that could end. Varhelji had a positive approach, appealing for this to end as soon as possible,” said Dodik.
At the meeting, there was a discussion about Dodik’s friendships regarding the dissolution of Republika Srpska.
“Some from Sarajevo said that people are leaving because there is talk of dissolution. Foreigners make a BiH that cannot. Obviously, RS without visibility will not be able to be part of the agreement package for the EU if it is eliminated. We follow it. You have some parliamentarians who have been lobbied, who are commenting on it. My question to them is what is the rule of law if the high representative is there illegitimately. They are not familiar with the details in BiH, but they are discussing it. Bosnia and Herzegovina is based on the Constitution, not to be dismantled on the Constitution. I want BiH to be constitutional, but if it is not, it is not acceptable. We said that we are in favor of the European path, I am not an optimist, but I am rational, that we should follow that path”, he said.
Will BiH get the “green light” for the start of EU accession negotiations next week, Dodik said:
“The Netherlands cannot give consent until it is resolved in their parliament and some other things, and consensus is needed. I’m not an optimist, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t work on it,” he concluded, N1 reports.
