Members of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament (AFET) discussed the Draft Report on the Commission’s 2021 Report in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), and the European Parliament wants to give its view of the current situation in our country and highlight what needs to be done in its European integration.
AFET Vice President Zeljana Zovko praised the rapporteur’s realistic approach and stressed that the draft report was a good basis on which the committee could continue to include appropriate wording to fully cover the political, economic, and social situation, as well as the progress of the reforms, her office announced.
Zovko particularly welcomed the inclusion of the notion of constituent peoples and the call for an agreement on new election law. But, she pointed out that certain key elements are still missing.
She stated that she plans to submit amendments that clarify the importance of achieving legitimate representation through amendments to the Election Law and restoring the spirit of the Dayton-Paris Peace Agreement, emphasizing that the upcoming elections should be held in an orderly and peaceful atmosphere.
Furthermore, Zovko mentioned that the said position was recently confirmed by the High Representative Josip Borrell and that it was included in the European Union (EU) Strategic Compass.
“If you question the concept of constituent peoples, you are questioning the BiH Constitution,” Zovko concluded.
The draft report on BiH is now open for amendment within the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and the committee’s vote on the final document is scheduled for June 2nd. The report then goes into the plenary procedure, which was noted in the statement.
