Čović: No reconstruction of the Council of Ministers, discussed the 2014 document with European People's Party members

(Patria) - A session of the Presidency of the Croatian National Assembly of BiH was held in Mostar today, where, as stated to journalists by the president of HNS and leader of HDZ BiH, Dragan Čović, the current political situation was discussed, as well as the extension of the term of the president of the Main Board and initiatives for the use of the Croatian language in BiH institutions.

When asked about the European People's Party's initiative to potentially discuss with member parties and whether this means a new composition of government, including the SDA, Čović said that it has nothing to do with the composition of government in BiH.

- The EPP, at its second-to-last session in Montenegro, asked to try to gather all EPP member parties again, and in that context, the SDA as well. Meetings were held at one level these days to analyze a document we signed back in 2014, to see if it is current, whether it needs to be improved. The agreement was for each party to analyze it, and then we will see how to proceed - said Čović.

He stated that the session of the House of Peoples is scheduled for June 26 and that he had a phone conversation with European Union officials yesterday.

- We agreed that through the talks I had in Banja Luka these days and in Sarajevo, we will try to create an environment for the adoption of two European laws, given that we did not have enough votes at the last session, because it was precisely the opposition from Republika Srpska, which emphasized its European standards, that was against these laws. Because the representatives of HDZ BiH are the proposers, or rather the Council of Ministers of BiH. However, when the representative of the Trojka was the proposer of the Law on the Court in the House of Representatives, a conditionally different law, they again rejected it. Therefore, I requested talks with colleagues and expect that by Monday we will have a position on whether we have an agreement for these two laws, the law on the Court and the law on the HJPC, to go to the next session of the House of Peoples and the House of Representatives - said Čović.

Otherwise, he emphasized, if this does not happen, then we will have a lull and Bosnia and Herzegovina will, he said, remain in the same place, without any progress.

- I hope that we will look at the real current political moment a little differently, also in the context of geopolitical circumstances, and that we will understand that our Euro-Atlantic path has no alternative - he underlined.

He also assessed that the Law on the Council of Ministers of BiH is unconstitutional to the core, because, as he said, an attempt is being made to change the decision-making infrastructure at the BiH level, in a way that someone would make decisions, propose appointments, and the like, on behalf of the executive power.

- Of course, that law cannot pass and that is how it will end - stated Čović.