Negotiations with the European Union concern all levels of government and all segments of society, including representatives of the economy, the academic community, civil society and the media.
This was answered by Fena news agency from the Directorate for European Integration of Bosnia and Herzegovina (DEI) to the question of whether DEI plans to include representatives of the private sector who have been importing/exporting goods from European Union countries for a long time in the negotiation process. Their representatives have requested this in recent days, claiming that they are the best acquainted with all the problems in relations with the EU in their daily work.
“The establishment of a negotiation structure is a task before the institutions and authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. One of the lessons we can learn from the experience of countries that have previously gone through this process is that negotiations concern all levels of government and all segments of society, including representatives of the economy, the academic community, civil society and the media,” say the DEI.
Therefore, the Directorate understands that it would be useful and necessary in the professional part of the negotiations for all important sectors, including the economy, to ensure the participation of all those actors who have professional knowledge and the necessary information, and the method and model of involvement is something that should be discussed and the best solutions sought.
The establishment of a negotiation structure at the technical level will include the implementation of procedures under the Law on the Conclusion and Execution of International Agreements, and a certain number of new acts based on the coordination mechanism in order to adapt the existing structure to the needs of the negotiations.
Certain bases for the negotiation structure are given in the Decision on the mechanism of coordination of the process of European integration in BiH, which stipulates that working groups for European integration will perform the function of negotiation teams. These working groups include representatives of institutions, but it is possible to invite experts who have the necessary knowledge and data to the meetings of the working groups, which includes the academic and business community as well as representatives of the non-governmental sector.
“The civil service, including the Directorate for European Integration, has a role in the establishment of the negotiation structure at the professional and technical level, and the responsibility for making a decision on the negotiation structure will rest with the politicians,” said the Directorate.
