European Parliamentarian Igor Šoltes: We are obliged to do everything possible for Bosnia to join the EU

Dr. Igor Šoltes, Slovenian MEP from the Greens/European Free Alliance group, told the BH news agency Patria in an interview that he does not consider the submission of BiH's application for EU membership on February 15th to be a hasty move and that it should have been done earlier.

- My political group was in favour of submitting (the application) on December 14, 2015, on the day the Dayton Peace Agreement was signed in Paris 20 years ago. We believe it is necessary to connect the tragic past with a positive future. One can always argue whether the glass is half full or half empty. And you can argue for another hour about whether more is needed or not.

We simply believe that time is not on the side of those who want the end of a dysfunctional state organized on an ethnic principle, those who want to see all citizens of BiH in the EU. I fear that delays are on the side of those with nationalist and reactionary agendas – says Šoltes.

Patria: Many believe that the application will be non-credible, which will further damage BiH's reputation. What negative consequences could this submission of the application on February 15th bring?

Dr. Šoltes: It won't be perfect, but in three years, there will be nothing left of the positive momentum. Do you think that after the social unrest of February 2014, the new agenda for growth and employment, the written decision by all political leaders from a year ago, the 20th anniversary of the Peace Agreement at the end of last year, the country will develop in the right direction if further steps towards the EU are not taken?

Submitting the application is a political step, and that was the case for all member states, especially those that joined after the Cold War.

We should not forget that the entry of 10 Eastern European countries was not a bureaucratic decision! It is time again to show courage. I am convinced that the greater risk lies in waiting and that things will not get easier. And, frankly speaking, what is Bosnia's reputation today? I think a fairly good application can contribute, do good.

Patria: Some even believe that we will cause a counter-effect even among the most optimistic countries that have helped BiH on its European path in the past. One of those friendly countries is your country. Do you share such views?

Dr. Šoltes: What exactly? That we can no longer support Bosnia? That would be a strategic mistake! In the current geopolitical circumstances, how can you not support the European integration of neighbours and countries surrounded by European Union member states? Because not doing so would be contrary to Slovenia's national interest, as well as general European interests, which also relate to stability and security. Just one example: We have seen what the new Russian foreign policy has looked like for more than two years now. How can we abandon a country like Bosnia? A country that many EU member states had already abandoned between 1992 and 1995? Morally speaking, we are obliged to do everything possible for Bosnia to join the EU.

Patria: Is it true that BiH will receive a questionnaire with several thousand questions if the application is deemed credible, and can it adequately respond to it, as the EU has clear mechanisms for verifying answers?

Dr. Šoltes: Absolutely! We Slovenians went through this before, as did all other new EU member states. Croatia recently. Yes, and the Commission has a Directorate-General responsible for these processes – DG NEAR – so that there are no bureaucratic problems in that regard. The Bosnian side must establish a coordination mechanism that will then work effectively.