Repetitions, platitudes, calming of tensions, all talks about migrants between European officials and representatives of the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), are indeed always similar. Where will migrants go from spring? Will there be new reception centers? Who should bear the burden of the crisis that affected primarily the Una-Sana Canton (USC)? There are still no answers to these questions.
BiH needs to strengthen its capacity in order to manage the migrant crisis. BiH cannot be a country where illegal migrants will stay long. These two opposing views are persistently heard in the European Union (EU) and our country. After Bihac, the European Commissioner for Home Affairs had three meetings in Sarajevo. They passed without concrete plans and solutions.
“BiH must develop better and stronger capacities at the state level for migration management. Also, the whole country must take responsibility for that, ” said Ylva Johansson, the European Commissioner for Home Affairs.
“BiH is ready to be a partner, but BiH cannot be the hostage of the migrant crisis and BiH is not ready to be a dormitory for migrants,” said Zoran Tegeltija, chairman of the BiH Council of Ministers.
And even though the officials from the Union and one part of the representatives of the authorities in BiH would like for the Republika Srpska (RS) to open reception centers, the others do not want them on RS territory at any cost.
“Why did you agree to open the borders, apparently you are more humane, and we are not humane, but how will you respond to EU countries that do not want to accept migrants? What about them, are they democratic countries, are they humane? Europe has produced migrants, let them draw them to themselves, ” Milorad Dodik, the President of the SNSD stated.
The citizens of USC, as they say, suffer a lot because of the quarrels at the state level, but also because of the unwillingness of the EU to let migrants within its borders. According to the Prime Minister of USC, this canton will continue to bear the burden of the migrant crisis, but not as much as before.
“We have clearly determined the quotas, the number of migrants that the USC can handle, the number of camps. Political will must be created to break the migrant route in BiH, and to open camps throughout BiH, ” said Mustafa Ruznic, the Prime Minister of the USC.
The European Commission recently announced the official position that explains how our country treats migrants could negatively affect its efforts to reach candidate status. BiH is criticized for its “inhumanity” in its treatment of migrants, and the brutality of the Croatian police is often ignored. Neither the BiH nor the EU approach can be seen as a permanent solution to a problem that will certainly not be “taken away by hand” and which does not suit migrants, the government, and ultimately the citizens of this country, BHRT writes.
