EU Extends Possibility of Sanctions for BiH Politicians!

The European Union has extended the legal validity of the decision to sanction BiH politicians or organizations working to undermine the sovereignty, territorial integrity, constitutional order and international position of Bosnia and Herzegovina, threatening the security of BiH and the Dayton Peace Agreement, BiH news agency Patria (NAP) has learned.

The decision to extend the functioning of the mechanism, which was expected to possibly force BiH politicians to unblock the European path and stop denying the statehood of BiH, was extended by the EU Council for Foreign Affairs at the proposal of Baroness Catherine Ashton.

The new decision was published in the Official Journal of the EU on 17 February and is merely an extension of the decision on imposing sanctions adopted on 21 March 2011.

However, this mechanism of sanctions against politicians and legal entities, which includes freezing financial assets that the person or organization has anywhere in the European Union, a ban on travel to member states and suspension of any financial assistance from the EU, has so far not been used against any individual or organization, although there has been no shortage of attacks on BiH and Dayton.

The only thing Brussels has done is suspend the aid package from IPA funds, but this was not directed at those who threaten BiH and Dayton, but at institutions that, due to inefficiency, were late in using the funds.

According to the decision on restrictive measures, it is stated that the list of persons under sanctions is determined at the proposal of Baroness Ashton, and adopted by the EU Council for Foreign Affairs. Also, the possibility is provided for persons who find themselves under sanctions to present their arguments against that decision.

According to unofficial sources of the Patria agency from Brussels, it is not excluded that the extension of the validity of this decision precisely at this moment, when a visit of Baroness Ashton to BiH is planned, is a signal that the EU could be ready to apply its mechanism.