The clock is ticking.
Since my last visit to Sarajevo two years ago, important progress has been made: Bosnia and Herzegovina wasofficially granted EU candidate status and has taken important steps required to fulfil the preconditions to open the EU-accession talks.
These are good news. They reflect that Bosnia and Herzegovina is intimately linked by history, culture and economy to the European family. We finally need to close this gap on the European map. Austria has been and will remain a strong advocate for a future of Bosnia and Herzegovina within the European family.
The enlargement fatigue we witnessed over the last decade has vanished almost over night. It is crucial that we use this momentum. We need all political leaders and decision makers in Bosnia and Herzegovina to take up this chance, address necessary reforms and issues that are long overdue and move forward towards European integration. The citizens in Bosnia and Herzegovina have a strong desire to be part of the European project and I can promise you that Austria will remain a strong partner on your side.
I can understand that there is frustration with the European integration process. In 2003 in Thessaloniki, the EU Member States have offered a quick integration of the Western Balkan countries into the EU. There has clearly not been enough progress on this path.
Austria has been a strong advocate in the process of granting the status of “EU candidate” for Bosnia and Herzegovina. With the same determination, we will continue to connect Europe and the Balkans, and we will demand that the EU and its Member States live by the standards they expect from accession candidates, namely an honest approach on the accession process, the timing, and results.
Whatever the challenges we face, we are stronger when we confront them together and as Europeans. This is more crucial than ever as we face attacks on our security, as exemplified by the Russian aggression against Ukraine, and as we grapple with global challenges, such as climate change, economic inequality and the implications of artificial intelligence.
This is particularly true when we consider what it takes for European Integration to move forward and we need to do that together. It is clear that striving for a European future requires Bosnia and Herzegovina to make tough choices. The European Union has stipulated its expectations on policy reform and it will be necessary to show results.
“More progress has been achieved in just over a year than in over a decade,” President of EU-Commission Von der Leyensaid in her speech on enlargement at the European Parliament, recommending the opening of accession negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina. The country has passed several laws on conflicts of interest, anti-money laundering and countering terrorist financing. And I am convinced that we must build on these dynamics to further advance the process. The energy and enthusiasm of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s civil society and its young people, and their unique resilience is inspring and is a strong voice that needs to be heard in the process as well. They deserve a good and prosperous future in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The European Commission continues to urge a comprehensive public administration reform to foster professionalism and impartiality, integrity reforms within the judiciary and tangibleprogress fighting corruption and organised crime. This is not to be seen as a bureaucratic exercise. It is about improving everyday lives of citizens.
We must not forget that the most essential precondition for societal development is the Rule of Law. Strong anti-corruption policies are one of the most important duties of a public administration in general. Corruption is not only “just another breach of law”. Corruption deprives you from chances that you otherwise would have. Corrupt behaviour in favour of one is damage to everyone else.
Corruption is cancer for economic and social development, invisible but with long lasting effects. One of these effects is the lack of trust of young people in their institutions and their future. Corruption and limited opportunities are the main reasons why many young, well-educated individuals choose to leave the country in search of a better future for themselves and their children.
The citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina deserve nothing less than a robust democratic governance, development that brings about opportunity and dignity to all, not just a few, and, most importantly, a sense of unity that rejects conflict in favour of a future of peace and reconciliation.
The Austrian government and I personally as Minister of Justice will remain a friend to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Our commitment in the Western Balkans will continue with renewed impetus and conviction. The clock is ticking. Neither the Balkans nor the EU can wait any longer.
