Until the governments are formed on all levels in Bosnia and Herzegovina, there will be no chance for even a positive opinion of the European Commission on the country’s candidate status, much less the confirmation of that status by the Council, Nezavisne reports.
Theoretically, the current Council of Ministers, which is operating under the technical mandate, could also receive the positive opinion, but the diplomatic sources have stated that the EU wants to see more commitment to reforms, and government formation is the first step in that direction. This was also emphasized in a joint statement by High Representative Mogherini and European Commissioner Hahn.
The general elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina took place on 7 October 2018. The country has garnered a reputation for slow government formations, and it seems that the situation will not different this time. According to Nezavisne, the process is currently stuck because of the inability of Serb and Bosniak parties to agree over the country’s Euro-Atlantic integration process.
The lack of fully functional government is also affecting the country’s ability to provide additional answers to a Questionnaire sent by the European Commission, the newspaper reminds.
Earlier, it was stated tat the efforts of political parties should focus on the establishment of new authorities, starting with the election of delegates to the new Federation House of Peoples by the cantonal assemblies.
“We therefore urge the cantonal assemblies that have not done so to fulfil their constitutional obligations and elect their delegates without further delay,” EU Delegation in BiH warned several days ago.
“Having in mind that the general elections have taken place and been certified, the old House of Peoples lacks democratic legitimacy to make decisions, particularly on important issues like the adoption of the budget. Beside the legal questions concerning such decisions, the adoption of the budget by the old House of Peoples would also set a dangerous precedent, which could be abused to further delay the formation of authorities in BiH, which is unacceptable.”
