Inzko at IFIMES Conference 'Future of the EU and the Balkans'

LJUBLJANA, (Patria) - Today, in Ljubljana, the International Institute for Middle Eastern and Balkan Studies (IFIMES) organized a conference titled "The Future of the EU and the Balkans". The keynote speaker at the conference was Dr. Igor Šoltes, Slovenian Member of the European Parliament (EP), Vice-President of the Delegation to the EU-Serbia Stabilisation and Association Parliamentary Committee, member of the delegation to the EU-Albania Stabilisation and Association Parliamentary Committee, and EP rapporteur for Kosovo.

"We must not underestimate the importance of the West for peace and stability throughout Europe. Accession negotiations are not just technical criteria, but also have a great political role that the EU must utilize. In the next mandate, the region must remain high on the EU's priorities. Regardless of the outcome of the EU elections, Europe will remain in the future, but the question is what will happen to it. The EU is based on freedom of speech, diversity of opinion, democracy, and we must maintain it. In the rule of law and human rights, we must reject the policy of double standards and measures. The European Union must remain a leading compass in the field of social justice, environmental protection, and respect for human rights. The real Europe is much more than a duty-free area, security provided by NATO, and therefore it must be capable of the renaissance it desperately needs."

The High Representative of the International Community (OHR) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dr. Valentin Inzko, stated in his address, among other things, that within the Berlin Process, funds were promised for the Belgrade-Sarajevo expressway and railway, and nothing has happened in four years.

"Why has nothing happened in four years? The EU must not support double standards, because if you advocate for certain values, you must also implement them. Thus, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, we do not have a law prohibiting the denial of the Holocaust, genocide, and war crimes, and this is allowed, while in the EU it is strictly legally prohibited. This is allowed in BiH, but not in the EU; these are double standards. Discrimination occurs when, as a Jew, Roma, or member of another ethnic community that is not constituent, you cannot run in elections, and there are several judgments from the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg for this, the oldest being Sejdić-Finci. We have a case where the European Commissioner for Enlargement, Štefan Füle, worked for four years on the implementation of this judgment, and then someone realized that the reform agenda was more important, and now this needs to be done. Again, double standards. Also, it is difficult to talk about prospects if we consider the Thessaloniki Agenda from 2003 regarding the European perspective of the region's countries, and if Bosnia and Herzegovina, for example, becomes an EU member in 2033. What kind of prospect is it if you wait 30 years," Inzko concluded.

When we talk about European funds such as IPA 3, we must be aware of the fact that BiH needs the money now, not in some distant future. BiH could also become a member of the Eurozone, as it has no inflation and has a stable currency. In the Balkans, we must be more creative, otherwise we will remain a "black hole".

In the discussion, moderated by IFIMES directors Dr. Zijad Bećirović and Bakhatyar Aljaf, which included distinguished experts and public figures, the prevailing opinion was that it is necessary to ensure a perspective and a better future for the EU, but at the same time, intensive work must be done for Bosnia and Herzegovina and the countries of the region to become full members of the EU.

The International Institute IFIMES intends to organize a conference in May, before the European elections, on the topic "What EU Do We Want?", which will be attended by eminent personalities on the mentioned topic. The conference concluded in an optimistic atmosphere, suggesting that there is indeed a better perspective for the EU, but also for the Balkans, for which Slovenian Member of the European Parliament Dr. Igor Šoltes said that it often knows how to surprise, and positively at that, and that without a peaceful Bosnia, there is no peaceful Europe.