Dr. Pilav for Patria: I have no illusions that the verdict will be implemented quickly

The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg has delivered a verdict in the case of Ilijaz Pilav v. Bosnia and Herzegovina, accepting the appeal of Ilijaz Pilav, writes Patria.

Dr. Ilijaz Pilav, a surgeon from Srebrenica, sued Bosnia and Herzegovina before the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg back in 2007 because he, as a Bosniak, did not have the opportunity to run for the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina from Republika Srpska.

Dr. Pilav, in a statement to Patria after this news, says that his "first reaction is that I have been saying and expecting this kind of solution in this verdict all along".

- I expected it to be exactly like this and in my favor. Legally speaking, a different decision could not have been expected, given that the "Pilav case" is already mentioned in the preamble of the "Sejdić and Finci" verdict - says Pilav.

However, he is aware that the implementation of this verdict will not be quick.

- If you ask me about the implementation, of course, I have no illusions that it will be that quick, and nobody knows how much dust this verdict, like the previous ones, will gather, but considering that we are a country on the path of Euro-Atlantic integration, this verdict will certainly be part of the content of some chapter when it is opened in those accession negotiations. It is absolutely certain, without any doubt, that if we want to be a member of the EU, and everyone says we do, this verdict will have to be implemented before that - emphasizes Dr. Pilav.