Komšić in Brussels: If rule of law is a priority, then there are the Sejdić-Finci, Pilav, Zornić, Šlaku, Pudarić, Kovačević rulings

(Patria) - Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Željko Komšić addressed today the European Union - Western Balkans Summit in Brussels, which brought together 27 EU member states and six partner countries of the Western Balkans -
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Kosovo.

The topics of the Summit are support for the Western Balkans with the aim of bringing them closer to the EU and how, in this increasingly complex geostrategic context, to jointly and effectively respond to challenges with further strengthened partnership and cooperation.

Komšić said it is important to maintain the continuity of talks at the highest political level.

„We are still in a very complex geopolitical moment for Europe, caused by Russia's aggression against Ukraine. The situation has been further complicated by Israel's disproportionate military response to the Hamas terrorist attack on Israeli civilians. The level of indiscriminate destruction and killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza has caused major turbulence in Europe and the world, and has also affected relations in the United Nations and the functioning of its institutions.

Emotions capable of raising tensions cannot be localized to the regions of conflict. Media and social networks transmit emotions to other parts of the world with uncertain outcomes. In such a geopolitical context, we are talking today, here in Brussels, about the further direction of the integration of the Western Balkans into the European Union. That is good, because the active role of the European Union and its political presence can thwart potential intentions to provoke conflict situations that could lead to escalation in our region as well. I think that escalation does not suit any reasonable person in the region. Therefore, let us start talking about the realization of the perspective offered to the Western Balkans by approaching the European Union. From the perspective of Bosnia and Herzegovina, it is clear to us that our candidate status, obtained a year ago, as well as the recent conditional recommendation of the European Commission for opening negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina, is precisely the result of the tense geopolitical situation on the borders of the European Union and that obtaining candidate status has absolutely nothing to do with meeting standards and fulfilling undertaken obligations".

He also thanked both the Commission and the Council for their positive attitude towards Bosnia and Herzegovina.

„I would like to be able to say that the progress in the status of EU integration of Bosnia and Herzegovina is the merit of the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Unfortunately, the effort in adopting legislation and building professional capacities of the state administration is not satisfactory. Our public opinion is aware of this. A 2023 survey shows that 73.3% of citizens still support the European integration of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is 4.1% less than in 2022, while a 2022 survey shows that only 42% believe that BiH will become part of the EU by 2030, and 13% believe that this will never happen. I still believe that fulfilling the 14 key priorities from the European Commission's Opinion of May 2019 is crucial for the further progress of our country towards alignment with the EU acquis.

I appeal to all EU institutions, as well as to member states, that the so-called 14 priorities from the 2019 EC Opinion, which concern Bosnia and Herzegovina, remain a kind of official policy of European institutions towards BiH. That relationship and such a policy must be free from any kind of hypocrisy on all sides. The last intensive dialogue of the European Commission with representatives of the legislative and executive authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Council of Ministers of BiH, entity and cantonal governments, in accordance with the established coordination mechanism within BiH, which the Commission also accepted as a working method, caused, to put it mildly, ridicule in the BiH public. The BiH public perceived that meeting as obvious proof of the dysfunctionality of BiH as a state, but also as proof of the dysfunctionality of the coordination mechanism itself and the attitude towards EU integration of both the EU and BiH. Nevertheless, this working method is officially and mutually accepted, and therefore the legislative and executive bodies at all levels of government in BiH have an obligation to play an active role in implementing reform processes.

In this regard, the 'Growth Plan' for the Western Balkans can be important support for reform processes, but also for preserving the pro-European orientation in circumstances of a pronounced propaganda war aimed at destroying 'European values', not only in the Western Balkans but also in the European Union itself. I am informed that the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina submitted to the Commission last week a draft 'Reform Plan' for Bosnia and Herzegovina. The document briefly covers: - Green and Digital Agenda - Development of the Private Sector and Business Environment - Preservation and Development of Human Resources and - Rule of Law.

In the next month or two, governments and legislative bodies at all levels of government in BiH should show concrete progress in that direction. In this sense, I expect responsible officials to fulfill the obligations they have undertaken, including the obligations that leaders of political parties undertook at the meeting with you, President Michel, exactly 18 months ago, in this same place. Finally, concrete regulations, standards and procedures are, at first glance, far from the sphere of interest of citizens. I would therefore recommend that the European Union also pay attention to the preservation of 'European values' as a kind of emotional aspect of integration that is often neglected, but turns out to be very important.

Underestimating the subjective attitude of citizens towards the value system on which the EU is based can lead to those citizens themselves giving up on the EU. After all, the value system that we believe still exists in the EU makes us in Bosnia and Herzegovina committed to being part of the EU. Abandoning those values will turn BiH society away from the EU itself, and the EU will gain another source of instability on its borders. Here I primarily mean support for the elimination of discrimination based on religious, ethnic, racial, political or any other affiliation, guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, which is an integral part of our Constitution.

Therefore, in the context of the rule of law, as one of the reform priorities from the draft 'Reform Plan' of Bosnia and Herzegovina, I believe that a key place is occupied by the implementation of six judgments of the European Court of Human Rights in the cases of Sejdić-Finci, Pilav, Zornić, Šlaku, Pudarić and Kovačević. The geopolitical moment does not allow further procrastination and circumvention of the truth, that the actual implementation of these judgments is inevitable. Only if the European Union, clearly and unequivocally, stands behind the necessity of realizing 'European values' and the rule of law in Bosnia and Herzegovina, then we can achieve a synergy of 'emotional' support for European values, practical visibility of the 'Growth Plan' and genuine will for reforms that will further direct Bosnia and Herzegovina towards its European goal", concluded Komšić.