European Parliamentarians Call on International Community for Brave Action Against Dodik and Other RS Officials

(Patria) - Chairman of the European Parliament Delegation for relations with Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo, Romeo Franz, and standing rapporteur for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Paulo Rangel, in a joint statement condemned the marking of the unconstitutional “Day of Republika Srpska” on January 9, calling on the international community to “finally move from strongly worded statements to effective, brave action” and impose sanctions against “destabilizing political actors in BiH”, particularly the president of the BiH entity Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, reports N1.

“Last year, we unreservedly condemned the marking of the ‘Day of Republika Srpska’ on January 9, in complete contradiction to several decisions of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which declared the self-proclaimed holiday and the 2016 referendum unconstitutional. The right of the Republika Srpska entity to a holiday is not in question. The problem lies in the choice of date, which violates the decisions of the Constitutional Court and several provisions of the BiH Constitution that prohibit discrimination. Ignoring these decisions constitutes a criminal offense, undermines the Dayton Peace Agreement, and represents a standstill in Bosnia and Herzegovina's progress on 14 key priorities and its integration into the EU. Instead of division and provocation, authorities and political actors across the country should focus on implementing concrete reforms needed to open accession negotiations, after being granted candidate country status for EU membership.

A few days ago, the “Day of Republika Srpska” was celebrated again in blatant defiance of court rulings, EU positions, and unequivocal statements by High Representative Christian Schmidt. We once again express our full support for the High Representative and call on the competent authorities and the international community to act decisively, in line with the High Representative's statement after last year's “Day of Republika Srpska” that “it should be clear that January 9, 2024, will not happen in this framework and in this way”. Unfortunately, what we have seen in recent days was “more of the same”. January 9 and the preceding days were marked by ugly incidents of instilling fear and intimidating citizens and returnees in Vlasenica and Srebrenica, loud glorification of convicted war criminals, and the use of hate speech.

Serbia was again represented by a high-level delegation, including several ministers, among them the Minister of Defense and SNS leader Miloš Vučević. The President of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, stood shoulder to shoulder with the outgoing President of the Serbian Assembly and the Russian Ambassador to BiH. In its resolution of July 12, 2023, the Parliament condemned the presence of high-ranking officials of the Serbian Government on the occasion of the unconstitutional “Day of RS”.

We also regret that some Montenegrin officials, including members of parliament, attended this year's Day of RS events. Representatives of candidate countries who always claim that European integration and future EU membership are their main priority should act accordingly. In this regard, we welcome the principled stance of Montenegrin President Jakov Milatović, who refused the invitation and explained why.

We note with great concern that this year's highest decoration of Republika Srpska was awarded to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who accepted it. By accepting this decoration, the Hungarian Prime Minister joins Vladimir Putin, last year's recipient of the same decoration, and all others who show contempt for the constitutional and legal order of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Last year, we sounded the alarm, stating that several red lines had been crossed. Since then, the situation has worsened and is becoming increasingly unsustainable. It is now imperative that the international community finally move from strongly worded statements to effective, brave action. In its resolution of July 12, 2023, the Parliament “reiterates its call for targeted sanctions against destabilizing political actors in BiH, including those who threaten and undermine its sovereignty, territorial integrity and constitutional order, particularly Milorad Dodik, as well as other high-ranking RS officials and officials from third countries providing political and material support to secessionist policies”.