At Šarović's request, the Annual National Program removed from the Council of Ministers agenda again

(Patria) - At the request of Mirko Šarović, Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations, the Annual National Program of Bosnia and Herzegovina has been removed from the agenda again. This document, proposed by the Commission for NATO Integration Process of Bosnia and Herzegovina, had been removed from the agenda of earlier sessions at the request of Serbian ministers.

Adoption of the „Annual National Program of Bosnia and Herzegovina 2018-2019“, which includes responses to a set of questions in the areas of politics, defense, resources and legal issues, does not automatically mean entry into NATO for Bosnia and Herzegovina, but it would mean activation of the Membership Action Plan (MAP), which is another step for Bosnia and Herzegovina towards membership in this military alliance.

Experts see a way out of this situation in the current Minister of Defense of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Marina Pendeš (HDZ), sending the already completed Annual National Program to NATO without the consent of the Council of Ministers, allowing Bosnia and Herzegovina to continue its NATO path. This was recently discussed by the member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Željko Komšić, during his stay in Slovenia, when he emphasized that the ANP is a technical, not a political issue.  

Minister Pendeš needs approval from her party leader Dragan Čović to send the Report.