The adoption of key reform laws is a condition for the opening of the negotiation process of the European Union with Bosnia and Herzegovina, and this is a clear request to the local authorities. In order to once again encourage political representatives in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, is coming for an official visit, and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and his colleague Andrej Plenković have already arrived.
We present the mirror of European Bosnia and Herzegovina. Reforms, laws, decisions, obligations are on one side, and on the other, the side of reflection – blockades, blackmail, sluggishness, meetings, promises and demagoguery. The EU road in Bosnia and Herzegovina is macadam, unlit and foggy. The vehicle is on reserve, the drivers are changing, and some of them have not passed the test, and in the trunk are suitcases crammed with unfinished reform laws, and many of them don’t have them. Blindfolded citizens in the trailer. This split-role ride is a show of imperfection, and in case of defeat, the loser is predetermined.
“In that play, the roles have already been divided, where Ursula von der Leyen and Andrej Plenković will play good policemen who will have to convince Rutte, who will be a bad policeman and suspicious, that our politicians are working, and our politicians will play people who are doing something, even though we know that they are not doing anything on the ground except for internal agreements that benefit both others and third parties, and certainly not the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina”, says political analyst Dragan Bursać.
It has been two months since the last visit. Then Ursula von der Leyen clearly stated what was expected of our authorities. The promises, just after her departure, were followed by assurances that we would be ready by March. It got stuck at a traffic light waiting for the March green light. Until then, is it possible to fulfill reforms in the context of the rule of law as key items in the expectations of the European Union, can a set of laws including the Election Law be resolved? The meeting in Laktaši offered options for thinking, and open cards were played at the table, with agreed – non-agreed party documents published.
“The Law on Prevention of Conflicts of Interest, the Law on Courts needs to be adopted, and we still do not have an agreement on where the Appellate Division should be located. This is something that was not agreed in this package”, says Haris Plakalo, secretary of the European Movement in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Thus, since the session of the European Council in December last year, when Bosnia and Herzegovina was granted conditional negotiating status, minimal progress has been achieved. It is worth reminding that even the adopted Law on Freedom of Access to Information in the Institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina is not fully aligned with EU directives, and also the amendments to the Law on the HJPC do not follow the positive opinion of the Venice Commission from 2020. Clarified, what was adopted is not exactly European normative either. That’s why we ask again: what do our politicians have to offer Europe now?
“That would be ending, not solving the Electoral Law in the way that politicians in Bosnia and Herzegovina will solve it. Will they solve it and in what way – we will see. Some outlines can be seen from the agreement in Laktaši, where in some way the third constituency is promised to Mr. Čović,” Bursać points out.
It would be, as the saying goes, a promise to a crazy person, if Čović didn’t really ask for it. The form is less important – the essence is anti-European. So the question is, despite the damage to the interests of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina – would this mean driving the last nail into the story of a European, democratic state in which citizens have equal rights. However, these are only proposals, not agreements.
The key is, what if they do not agree and do not fulfill enough, and instead of a green light in March, a red light remains. In this context, the elections – those in the EU this summer – are important. Thus, from March, the decision would be extended, but it is unknown until when. On the other hand, irresponsible politicians or, more precisely, blockers of the EU process in Bosnia and Herzegovina could be knocked on the door by European sanctions because the aspirations are aimed at changing the rules for imposing sanctions, so instead of a general one, a qualified majority would be required.
The only thing stronger than that is money. The opening of accession negotiations also means the opening of funds in which millions of euros are waiting, and it is not unknown how money has often been a bait for softening hard political positions.
Therefore, in front of Urusla, Rutte and Plenković, we proceed with calculations as to whether it can be done over the line, half-finished or forcibly packed, because when the money comes we will see if we want it, how and for how long. These are party and ideological aspirations, completely opposite to EU integration as a test of political maturity and readiness for in-depth social reorganization.
