Dodik says there will be no visa liberalization with Kosovo, agreement from the Berlin Process is unenforceable

(Patria) - At today's session of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Information on the signed agreements on freedom of movement within the Berlin Process, proposed by the Ministry of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, was adopted.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs will submit the Information on the signed agreements on freedom of movement within the Berlin Process to the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina for further procedure in accordance with the Law on the Procedure for Concluding and Executing International Agreements, with the proposal that the initial of the signatory has the same value as his signature, in accordance with the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, thereby creating conditions for the ratification of these agreements. These are two agreements, namely on the recognition of higher education qualifications and on the recognition of professional qualifications of doctors of medicine, doctors of dental medicine, and architects in the context of the Central European Free Trade Agreement, and on movement with ID cards. 

The entry into force of these agreements will facilitate the mobility of students, academic staff, researchers, and experts, and enhance cooperation in the Western Balkans.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Elmedin Konaković, said after the session that the agreement on movement with ID cards has not yet been adopted. 

"We haven't reached this point regarding movement with ID cards yet. We are waiting for political consensus. I hope and believe that we will resolve this very soon, but today I consider it a very important step that confirms that this Council of Ministers is, after all, working and solving problems that have not been addressed for a long time. You know that this topic is also being analyzed from a political perspective. Probably colleagues from the RS are still waiting for Serbia, which needs to ratify the documents in its parliament. Montenegro recently completed this as well, and I think we are very close to the end, which will actually mean the success of a well-conceived process that should enable the mobility of goods, services, people, and their movement," said Konaković.

However, he did not have to wait long for "political consensus." The President of the SNSD and the RS, Milorad Dodik, stated that Bosnia and Herzegovina will not have visa liberalization with Kosovo.

The agreement on movement with ID cards is one of three reached by the heads of diplomacy of the Western Balkan countries on November 3, 2022, within the Berlin Process. The signatory on behalf of Bosnia and Herzegovina was Zoran Tegeltija.