If BiH misses the last EU accession train this autumn, the next one won’t come before 2015, the UK Ambassador in BiH, Nigel Casey, stated for Dnevni Avaz.
New applications
Talking to European officials, it is clear that they are getting more tired and dissatisfied with the situation in BiH, and especially with the lack of readiness by certain BiH political leaders to agree on anything that is good for this country.
– I’m really concerned by lack of urgency most party leaders seem to be showing about finding solutions which can be realistically agreed and implemented by the end of this year. Let’s be very clear – if BiH misses the last train, there won’t be another one coming before 2015. And by then, with a new European Parliament and Commission, the environment for new membership applications could be a lot tougher. If party leaders are sincere about BiH joining the EU, they should be focusing on solutions which have a serious prospect of being agreed in the coming weeks
BiH is already losing out due to reform blockages. Certain IPA funded projects have been stopped, there is a question mark over the whole of IPA 2 tranche of at least 600 million Euro…
– As you know, net foreign direct investment in BiH has been effectively zero for several years. This is certainly in part a reflection of political uncertainty and the lack of clear direction about the country’s future. Where IPA is concerned, the position is simple – the EU will only be able to implement existing projects where there is a clear political commitment from BiH authorities at all relevant levels. And it will not be possible to agree any new support under IPA 2 until and unless BiH leaders put in place a functioning EU Co-ordination mechanism. Until the functioning EU coordination mechanism is set up, there won’t be a possibility to give IPA 2 money to your country but the money will be redirected to other countries in the region.
Red lines
Should BiH be punished more for refusing reforms?
– EU Foreign Ministers are likely to discuss BiH in October, in the light of the forthcoming High Level Dialogue in Brussels. I can’t prejudge the outcome of those discussions, but it is already clear that if the message from BiH leaders on 1 October is negative, then it will not be possible simply to continue with business as usual.
So we are then moving towards even worse relations with the EU?
– If things keep going as they have so far, then that’s inevitable.
Are there any exceptions or are all the political leaders the same?
– There are some, it seems, that are putting the effort in to move things forward. But to be honest, almost all of them are insisting on their red lines, thus making agreement impossible.
Croats get 6500 KM per person!
– BiH is already imposing major financial losses on itself as a direct consequence of the lack of progress. As well as throwing away millions in IPA money, BiH will forfeit billions of Euro in additional potential support with every year that it falls behind it neighbours.
To illustrate, Croatia will receive some 24 billion KM extra in EU support from 2014-2020. That represents roughly 6500 KM for every single person, not even counting the wider benefits Croatians will enjoy as part of the world’s largest single market.
