WE AND MINI SCHENGEN Will the mute political establishment cost us

Mini Schengen, the idea of economic integration of the Western Balkan region, which was met with hostility in its early stages in most of our region. 

Politicians and political opportunists, following the established and well-known practice, have started calculating, leaning on the past. As if they understood that mini Schengen represents a gateway to the inglorious past of this part of the world, marked by wars and conflicts. 

This is actually the best description of the regional politicians here. They think little, they pontificate too much. 

The mini Schengen idea was initiated by Albania and Serbia; two former enemies sat at the same table and presented something that could improve the economy of the entire region. And we all know our economies are in the red. 

However, apart from North Macedonia, others were more or less skeptical. Milo Đukanović in Montenegro expressed fears that mini Schengen could be a substitute for the European path. He did not dismiss economic integration of the region, but decided to wait and see the final idea. 

In Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina, old problems with new ideas. Kosovar nationalists nipped in the bud any thought of integration with Serbia, while few see it as a path to progress. 

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the proverbial lethargy and apathy. Apart from Denis Zvizdić, few of "our" politicians have even dealt with the topic of mini Schengen. "Be silent and wait" is roughly the strategy of the largest part of our country's political establishment. 

And when the whole story "heated up", when the Americans and Europeans supported the economic integration of the region, BiH politicians acted in their usual manner. 

"We welcome initiatives and activities that promote regional cooperation and good neighborly relations. Economic cooperation can help build trust for the implementation of difficult but necessary political reforms," stated the US Embassy in its response to Dnevni avaz. 

Official Berlin also supported the whole story. 

Milorad Dodik was the first to propose that the Presidency of BiH consider the whole story. Although one could problematize why he did it after Aleksandar Vučić's move, after his visit to America, someone had to make the first move. 

Are our politicians insecure, unprepared, or accustomed to waiting for someone from outside BiH to say something before they react? Because, it seems, without external input, they silently observe events. That is probably why we are far from all integrations and slower than everyone else on the path to NATO and the EU.

The Presidency of BiH rejected the initiative. Šefik Džaferović, explaining why the initiative was rejected in an interview with Preporod, says: "We need to know in detail what this initiative means, what are the benefits, and what are the potential damages and dangers. Nobody knows this in detail in Bosnia and Herzegovina today, and in such initiatives, the devil can be in the details. The Presidency of BiH has requested this analysis from the Council of Ministers. I will continue to act this way on every issue because it is my obligation.

So, no one, neither from the US nor from Germany, asked us to accept mini Schengen." 

Just as I said, BiH political elites wait for someone from the international community to ask them for something before they make decisions. I wrote an article titled "Mini Schengen - Balkan Scandinavia: Economy vs. Divisions" in December 2019. Džaferović, in September 2020, does not know what the mini Schengen initiative contains or what its details are. 

What is particularly problematic and indicates the disastrous management of the state by the current structures is the fact that Džaferović's party colleague, then Prime Minister of BiH Denis Zvizdić, said about "mini Schengen" in November last year: "BiH will make its decision in accordance with procedures and after a serious analysis by institutions, the business community, and experts. We have received some assurances that the initiative does not represent an attempt to substitute European integration nor to derogate existing regional agreements such as CEFTA".

And Džaferović, 11 months later, is requesting an analysis. 

And Džaferović is not alone. Political representatives of all three ethnic groups, in their ignorance, have become completely mute. They react consequently, they wait, they weigh, and they usually make mistakes. 

So, the mini Schengen initiative appeared about a year ago. Although our lords regularly received invitations to meetings about the aforementioned idea, few attended. Today they are asking for analyses, which is usually done by traditionally slow and incompetent commissions. 

And the leading Bosniak party, SDA, is asking for an analysis of something that has been written about for a year: "We support the conclusion of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina regarding the mini Schengen initiative, which requests the Council of Ministers to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the positive and negative effects that Bosnia and Herzegovina could have if it joins this initiative".

And while they hesitate, ponder, and analyze, the world will move on. The price of their incompetence will be paid by citizens and businessmen, who would benefit significantly if mini Schengen were realized. 

What is particularly interesting is the fact that our politicians - the lords - expressively analyze daily political events and react automatically, often thoughtlessly. 

Therefore, it would be necessary for them to analyze these daily political tremors and complications on a monthly basis, and to consider progressive ideas as soon as they appear, because this region has lacked positive initiatives for decades, and BiH should not be left out of such initiatives due to the muteness and lethargy of its leaders. 

"Balkan for the 21st century," Zoran Zaev announced last November in Ohrid. We hope that Bosnia and Herzegovina will not be left out of this project because of politicians from the last century and their incompetence.