Appeal to the West: End the destabilizing influence of Serbia and Croatia and make a radical shift in EU relations with BiH

(Patria) - The assessment by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen that BiH has made more progress in just over a year than in more than a decade is quite unrealistic.

Ms. von der Leyen ignores the responsibility of ethno-nationalists for the permanent blockade and dysfunction of the state at almost all levels, believes genocide expert Jasna Čaušević from the Society for Threatened Peoples in Germany.

According to her, the political goals of ethno-nationalists in Bosnia and Herzegovina have radicalized, especially due to neighboring countries, Serbia and Croatia, and Russian influence. The security situation is extremely unstable.

- According to the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights, the Constitution and the electoral system contained within it violate European standards. The reform of the Election Law is long overdue so that all citizens have the right to vote - regardless of ethnic or religious affiliation.

Ethnically organized political parties in Bosnia and Herzegovina and neighboring countries reject the democratic participation of citizens and Bosnia and Herzegovina as a civic state.

The destabilizing influence of neighboring countries Serbia and Croatia must be ended first and foremost, and a radical shift in EU relations with Bosnia and Herzegovina must be made.

Because, in such an extremely complex geopolitical environment, in which the sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina is threatened, the EU is needed more than ever - assesses Čaušević.

She also points out that the European Union not only needs to demand new dynamics but also ensure that undemocratic ethnic ideologues are no longer allowed to block the democratic future of the entire country.

- In Bosnia, Europe must finally prove how important democracy, human rights, and the rule of law are to it. Pumping large sums of money into the country would only benefit the corrupt nationalist elite.

It would be the nail in the coffin for multinational, multicultural, and multi-religious Bosnia and Herzegovina - adds Čaušević.

The Society for Threatened Peoples emphasizes that almost three decades after the war, people in Bosnia and Herzegovina have the right to justice, institutional reforms, the right to truth, and a culture of remembrance that puts an end to genocide denial and makes "Never again" possible.

An appeal of the same content has been sent to the European Parliament, the European Commission, the European Court of Human Rights, members of the Peace Implementation Council, the High Representative, the governments of EU member states and the United Nations, and NATO member states.

In their appeal, the Society called on the listed institutions to strengthen democracy in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which includes supporting the long-overdue constitutional reform.

"EU member states should advocate for the implementation of the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), which classify the right to vote as discriminatory and a violation of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Our human rights organization supports accession negotiations, but the current developments are a cause for concern and require decisive action.

Together with other human rights organizations, the Society for Threatened Peoples has been warning for years that separatist extremists in Bosnia and Herzegovina are trying to sabotage the state - deepening ethnic divisions and preparing for secession.

Ethno-nationalists have exploited the constitutional shortcomings of the Dayton Agreement and maintained the de facto ethnic division of the country. This has excluded minorities in the country, such as Jews and Roma.

Citizens who do not wish to be ethnically classified are denied rights. The European Union must under no circumstances passively tolerate the fact that BiH is the only country in Europe where Jews and Roma cannot be equal citizens.

The destabilizing influence of neighboring Serbia and Croatia must also be ended. Therefore, we call for targeted sanctions against politicians who divide the country and exploit the interests of their ethnic groups.

Within the framework of accession negotiations, we call for a change in EU policy towards the Western Balkans and appeal to the European Parliament, the European Commission, the European Court of Human Rights, members of the Peace Implementation Council, the High Representative, the governments of EU and UN member states, as well as all NATO member states:

1. All democratic forces in the EU must work together to avoid repeating the mistakes of the 1990s. The EU must show full commitment to European standards and values.

As a member of the Dayton Peace Implementation Council, the EU must actively support further steps towards the democratization of the country. Structural obstacles to functional democracy must be removed;

2. The implementation of all judgments of the European Court of Human Rights is of fundamental importance to ensure full and equal rights for all citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina and to stop the discrimination of minorities, including Jews and Roma.

Necessary constitutional and electoral reforms must be adopted by the Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina with full participation of civil society;

3. Judicial independence must be guaranteed, the Constitutional Court must be reformed, and binding decisions and judgments of the courts must be implemented.

Judges of the Constitutional Court cannot be elected based on ethnic affiliation - foreign judges must remain in place until the Court becomes fully independent and its decisions are generally accepted;

4. Mechanisms must be established to prevent further obstruction of government institutions at all levels to ensure that their decisions are accepted and implemented.

The Society for Threatened Peoples calls for an effective system of targeted sanctions against politicians who obstruct state functions and try to prevent the state from being functional.

Harmful ethno-nationalist interests aimed at destabilizing and dividing the country must be stopped;

5. An active democratization process requires strategic cooperation with democratic forces and a break in cooperation with ethno-nationalist extremists.

The EU must support efforts to ban hate speech, mocking victims, and denying past crimes to prevent the recurrence of conflict;

6. We demand an end to the policy of appeasement regarding the expansionist aspirations of Bosnia and Herzegovina's neighboring countries.

The EU must decisively oppose all moves towards a Greater Serbia or a Greater Croatia if they threaten the multi-ethnic character of Bosnia and Herzegovina or even the survival of the state itself.

The EU must also condemn Russia's interference aimed at destabilizing the country and the entire Western Balkans," the appeal from the Society for Threatened Peoples from Germany states.