Agony over amendments to the Criminal Code of BiH continues: An example of blockades and weaknesses of Bosnian politics

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - Regardless of the decision of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the European Union has called on the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH and political parties to urgently adopt amendments to the Law on Criminal Procedure in line with international standards and the request of the Constitutional Court of BiH.

The question now is whether there is political will and a parliamentary majority to do so. Two proposals are in play. Initially, only the SDA proposal was supposed to be in the House of Representatives, but simultaneously, at the session of the House of Peoples, another proposal was put forward by Bariša Čolak. This is, as they claim, the text of the Ministry of Justice that did not receive support in the Council of Ministers.

The difference between these two proposals is that the SDA proposes that key decisions in investigations be made by the College of Prosecutors, while Čolak's proposal stipulates that this can be done by the chief prosecutor alone.

Both proposals are in a stalemate, because the SDA proposal does not have a majority in the House of Peoples, and the HDZ proposal does not have a majority in the House of Representatives.

The EU Delegation warns „that this will be of key importance for the ability of institutions responsible for the rule of law to maintain the security of the country, conduct sensitive investigations and provide immunity to witnesses, and to cooperate with international law enforcement agencies such as Interpol and Europol."

Serious concern has also been expressed about the failure of political parties, as well as the Council of Ministers and the Ministry of Justice, to adhere to commitments to fight corruption, organized crime and other forms of serious crime, in the context of preparing the Opinion of the European Commission on BiH's EU membership application.

- This year represents a unique opportunity for BiH to strengthen its connection with the EU and the region, and to get closer to European Union standards, not to move away from them – the EU Delegation in BiH previously stated.

However, it seems that this does not concern the ruling parties and government representatives much. The question is how long the agony in the Parliament of BiH will last until the Criminal Code is finally amended. (A.Č.Z.)