EU Strategy for the Western Balkans to Be Adopted Next Week, BiH's Position Depends on the Questionnaire

BRUSSELS, (Patria) – The European Commission will present to the European Parliament next Tuesday the European Union's strategy for the Western Balkans for the next five years.

MEP Jasenko Selimović told the Patria agency that it is very important for Bosnia and Herzegovina to secure a good position in this strategy, as it will largely determine the developments in the country in the coming period when the EU implements the strategy.

Asked what influences Bosnia and Herzegovina's position within such a strategy, Selimović said that it primarily depends on the policy pursued by politicians in Bosnia and Herzegovina, i.e., their readiness to lead the country towards EU accession rather than away from European values.

„A lot depends on whether the authorities from Bosnia and Herzegovina will manage to send the European Commission's Questionnaire to Brussels, because without that, practically no further steps can be taken,“ said Selimović.

The Swedish member of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe group in the European Parliament said that there is no mood in the European Parliament to create new ethnic divisions in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the European Parliament stands firmly on that path, which is good for the country itself, but added that this is not enough for a quality life for citizens, and that the authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, instead of engaging in the election campaign, should actually show that they want to organize BiH on the principles of European values.

„Europe can help, and it seems to me that it should help even more than it does now. The constitution of the state, which was imposed on Bosnia and Herzegovina, is quite complicated, and that is why we need help. But it all still depends on how politicians in Bosnia and Herzegovina work and where they are leading the country,“ said Selimović.

„Europe can help, but it cannot do things that should be done by politicians in BiH,“ he added.

The European Commission recently adopted a Resolution on Bosnia and Herzegovina, which also calls on domestic authorities to establish greater rule of law, separate the judiciary from politics, ensure equal rights for all citizens throughout the country, prosecute war crimes, amend the election law, and make other progress that would lead to a better quality of life for citizens.