Čović: Referendum won't change anything, after the elections I will impose a dynamic of reorganising Bosnia and Herzegovina

Croatian member of the BiH Presidency Dragan Čović assessed today in Mostar that holding a referendum in Republika Srpska will not negatively affect the European Union's decision to accept that country's request for candidate status, reports the Patria news agency.

"I am sure that, as far as the European path is concerned, it will not slow down our path in any way. This could be seen from the statements of all those who sent us messages. In the last contact with Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajčák, everything is being prepared so that we receive a positive response at the next session of the European Council on 20 September," said Čović in Mostar, responding to a journalist's question about whether holding the referendum could slow down the country's European path.

Čović emphasised that the decisions of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina regarding the referendum, as well as other issues, must be implemented unconditionally, assessing that holding the vote on the Day of Republika Srpska will not bring anything dramatic to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

"I think that on 26 September everything will be the same in Bosnia and Herzegovina as before," said the member of the BiH Presidency.

Čović added that after the approval of the request for candidate status, the authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina face a major task once the country receives the questionnaires.

"Only then does a serious job begin. However, the most important thing is to avoid political traps in order to have candidate status by the end of next year," emphasised Čović, explaining that this period must be used to transform Bosnia and Herzegovina in a constitutional and legal sense.

"Immediately after the elections, I will try to impose that dynamic in order to resolve the issues of implementing the Strasbourg Court's decision in the Sejdić-Finci case, and reorganising Bosnia and Herzegovina so that we do not again come close to some next election campaign," said Čović, as reported by N1.