EP Plenary Session, Croatian MEPs Maintain Stance on Need for BiH Federalization

Cristian Dan Preda, European Parliament Rapporteur for BiH, stated at the European Parliament plenary session in Strasbourg that citizens in BiH want progress in the context of European integration, but that many things need to be done in BiH, primarily those important for the fight against terrorism and organized crime. 

Preda said that the statements made by the president of the Bosnian Serb entity, Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, which pose a great threat to peace in the country, are also a problem in BiH.

At the plenary session, Members of the European Parliament also discussed a resolution on BiH, proposed by Cristian Dan Preda. MEPs will vote on this resolution on Wednesday, and gave their opinions on Tuesday.
Croatian MEPs continue to insist that BiH needs to be organized based on the principles of federalization.

Croatian MEP Tonino Picula stated in his address that it is evident that the reasons for blockades in BiH are of an internal nature.

Jasenko Selimović, a Swedish MEP of BiH origin, believes that federalization in BiH means further division of BiH, which he does not consider good at all.

There are too many parliaments, ministries, and officials in BiH..., Selimović said, so he does not understand how anyone thinks three entities would be more functional than two that are already dysfunctional.

EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn stated that the EU does not have the jurisdiction to prescribe the organization of a country as long as the country meets EU regulations, and noted that discrimination based on ethnicity is certainly not permitted.

-The report on BiH confirms BiH's progress on the path to the EU, especially in terms of implementing reforms – Hahn said. He reminded that the authorities in BiH must answer the European Commission's Questionnaire, and that BiH authorities will have to provide concrete answers. 

The European Parliament will vote on the Report on the Progress of Bosnia and Herzegovina at a session scheduled for Wednesday in the European Parliament, writes Patria.