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SARAJEVO, May 10 (FENA) - European and NATO integrations, regardless of certain internal disagreements, have been and remain the two most important foreign policy goals of Bosnia and Herzegovina, said in an interview with FENA, on the occasion of May 9, Europe Day, Deputy Chair of the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH and former Chairman of the Council of Ministers of BiH, Denis Zvizdić
Zvizdić assessed that the period from 2015 to 2018, according to all relevant indicators and statements of meritorious European officials, represents the most successful period on the path of BiH towards EU membership.
"Unfortunately, the EU integration process has been in a kind of targeted blockade by the SNSD since then, and what aroused a hint of optimism are the latest conclusions of the BiH Presidency and the beginning of the ad hoc Political Group for EU Integration, which jumpstarted the process which in this mandate, while maintaining a positive political will, could lead to obtaining a candidate status, and in the period to come, the opening of negotiations," he said.
Zvizdić considers the complexity of the constitutional and political system of BiH and the non-existence of a "European clause" in the process of deciding on all issues of EU integration as key obstacles for faster progress of BiH on the path of EU integration. As a consequence, we have institutional blockades, targeted obstructions, unreasonably long and complicated consensus-building procedures, both when it is and when it is not needed.
"In addition to all the above, there is an insufficient understanding of the EU integration process by certain political parties and holders of executive and legislative power that lead the processes, as well as an increasing tendency to ignore and avoid the fact that the essence of EU norms, standards and directives cannot be negotiated, i.e., the acquis communautaire adoption, but we can only discuss the dynamic and the most efficient models of their implementation.
We are witnesses that there are still some politicians, ministers and MPs, especially from Bosnia and Herzegovina's entity of RS, that act as if BiH is accepting the EU, and not the other way around. They set conditions for the EU institutions or ask for non-procedural exceptions, which is a practice that the representatives of the EU institutions have long tolerated and I think it is time to break this cycle and make it clear to the known blockers of EU integration that established rules of the game cannot be violated without sanctions and consequences," said Zvizdić.
He notes that the blockers of EU integration in BiH, especially those who do it publicly, but also those who do it secretly and in a more perfidious way, are not difficult to recognize.
"As soon as someone starts the sentence "that BiH is for EU integration, but ...", he is a blocker. Any setting of conditions in the process of EU integration, which is known in advance that the EU institutions would not accept because they are contrary to their rules and procedures, is a deliberate attempt to block the European future of BiH. It should be noted that the SDA, as a party committed to the European future of BiH, was the only one among the ruling and largest parliamentary parties, that has unconditionally accepted the implementation of all 14 priorities from the EC Opinion.
The HDZ and the SNSD accept the implementation of the EC Opinion with reservation and selectively, especially the implementation of the Sejdić-Finci judgment, the establishment of a judicial body, i.e., the Supreme Court of BiH, which would be entrusted to ensure consistent interpretation of law throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina; removal of the right of veto in the decision-making process, in accordance with the acquis, guaranteeing freedom of expression of the media and protection of journalists, ensuring the financial sustainability of the system of public broadcasting services and others," said Zvizdić.
As for the motives of the blockades, Zvizdić says they are numerous, but two are the key ones: fear of establishing the rule of law and efforts to preserve the fiction that with BiH's entry into the EU, entities or cantons will have a "special and recognizable" status.
"This, of course, will not happen. The bearer of sovereignty, territorial integrity and international legal subjectivity is the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and thus EU membership, with all rights and obligations, will only and exclusively belong to the state of BiH," he emphasized.
Commenting on the results of this week's EU-Western Balkans summit, Zvizdić says that one of the most important messages of the Summit and the Zagreb Declaration is that the EU enlargement to Southeast Europe and the Western Balkans remains one of the EU's most important goals.
Therefore, BiH, as well as other countries in the Western Balkans region, received very generous financial assistance to mitigate the consequences of the pandemic, and the participants stressed the need to continue strategic communication, which means that BiH's European perspective remains current and realistic, stated Zvizdić in an interview with FENA.
(FENA) S. R.
