In the last few weeks, the “Open Balkan” initiative has caused numerous reactions from the public in our country. Many are worried about what this would mean for Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), that is, whether joining such a market alliance would also mean the complete domination of Serbia.
The Open Balkan initiative was developed from the “Mini Schengen” project and represents primarily the economic cooperation of the countries of the Western Balkans and was joined by Serbia, Albania, and North Macedonia. BiH, Montenegro, and Kosovo do not officially participate. It was initiated by the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, the Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama, and the former Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Zoran Zaev, in 2019.
Politicians from countries that did not decide to be part of the Open Balkan, including those from BiH, highlighted a number of concerns that primarily relate to the position of Serbia in the region and the political and economic intentions of that country.
In addition to the fear that Serbia, as the strongest economic and political party in the alliance, would have complete dominance in such a market community, there is another problem that is specific to BiH.
All other countries that are part of the Open Balkan are centralized, they pass all the necessary laws that ensure market protection independently. On the other hand, BiH, due to its specific arrangement, cannot do this.
The Republika Srpska (RS) entity is organized centrally, so it could independently adopt all the necessary laws when necessary, but in the Federation of BiH (FBiH) the situation is much more complex. Economic and financial issues “go down” to the canton level, and even when it comes to the federal level, every law must be confirmed in the House of Peoples of the FBiH. And there, everything can depend on the will of one individual, the chairman of the House of Peoples.
Political sovereignty is defined as the right of the state to independently manage its affairs. In addition to what is usually understood by this term, such as foreign policy and territorial management, it also means the ability of the state to independently adopt legal regulations that would be in its interest. When it comes to BiH, it is clear that something like that is in the realm of the impossible.
By entering the Open Balkan, BiH, that is, businessmen who depend on the domestic market, would not be able to protect themselves from cheap goods from other countries, which are part of the initiative, primarily Serbia.
Due to the cheaper production process, as well as the labor force, the BiH market would be flooded with products from Serbia, which would gradually suffocate numerous domestic businessmen. Through a chain reaction, this would ultimately bring great losses for the tax system, and ultimately the entire economy of BiH.
Reducing the concept of “Open Balkan” to the possibility that citizens of countries in the region travel without checking documents is very dangerous. Entering such a market alliance, without adequate protection of the domestic market, could have a much more complex situation for BiH, Klix.ba reports.
E.Dz.
