EU Delegation: BiH not committed to fighting crime, agreement with EUROPOL in question

The Delegation of the European Union/Office of the EU Special Representative in BiH, in agreement with the heads of missions of EU member states in Bosnia and Herzegovina, issued a joint statement on the halt in BiH's cooperation with EUROPOL.

- Bosnia and Herzegovina has not yet designated a national contact point (NCP) for cooperation with EUROPOL. The failure to establish an NCP has several serious consequences for BiH and its citizens. Undermining cooperation with EUROPOL will affect the security of BiH and its citizens.

By delaying the discussion on the NCP for several weeks, the Council of Ministers missed an important opportunity to establish a national contact point.

Operationally, without a functional national contact point, authorities in BiH will have significantly less access to sensitive information on criminals through EUROPOL's secure communication platform on crime. In addition, BiH cannot send its liaison officers to EUROPOL's headquarters, nor receive an EUROPOL liaison officer in the country.

This persistent violation of the agreement with EUROPOL could lead to the temporary suspension of the Agreement - something that has never happened with any other country.

Politically, this greatly affects the credibility of Bosnia and Herzegovina's commitment to fighting serious and organized crime, and strengthening the rule of law, particularly with regard to the European Commission's Opinion on Bosnia and Herzegovina's application for EU membership.

In the past few months, we have seen authorities challenge the competencies and procedures for appointing the NCP. The recent example of adopting amendments to the Law on Criminal Procedure shows that if there is political will, a solution can be found.

The EU supports all relevant institutions and political parties in taking the necessary steps to establish the NCP before the deadline."