SYSTEM COLLAPSE State coalition has not met since October 16, not even the Brussels meeting brought a resolution!

By Amra Vrabac

The last formal meeting of the state-level coalition was held on October 16 in Istočno Sarajevo, hosted by Milorad Dodik, president of SNSD.

Although a new meeting was announced then for 15 days, to be hosted by the trio (SDP, NIP, NS), that meeting did not take place.

On November 1, the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, visited BiH, but even after her visit, the state coalition did not convene. The Council of Ministers of BiH has not adopted a single law from the set of reform laws, so they could not be on the agenda of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly chambers either.

At the end of November, a meeting between the president of HDZ BiH, Dragan Čović, and representatives of the trio was held in the BiH Parliamentary Assembly after the second attempt. It was then emphasized that there is agreement among these parties on important issues and that positions should be coordinated with SNSD as well.

However, a meeting with Dodik did not take place, despite the upcoming trip to Brussels, where about a hundred BiH officials and their escorts promised to fulfill European obligations. But precisely during that period, there was no agreement among ministers from the Bosniak constituent people on the proposal submitted by the Minister of Security of BiH, Nenad Nešić, regarding cooperation with Frontex. In that agreement, entities are equated with the state level.

From Brussels, Dodik announced that the Law on Courts could be adopted, insisting that the seat of the Appellate Division be in Banja Luka, and the Law on Prevention of Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorist Activities, but he admitted that there is a deadlock, especially regarding the Constitutional Court of BiH. For some other contentious issues, he proposed that they be "resolved by the entities simultaneously," which undermines the state and state institutions.

Konaković also made a statement from Brussels, announcing a new meeting of the state coalition, but it did not happen. Čović's optimism also seems to have faded, as he has not commented much on the Brussels meeting.

Although a session of the Council of Ministers of BiH followed on December 7, there were no laws on the agenda.

A new session of the Council of Ministers of BiH is scheduled for December 12, and the extensive agenda does not include a single law, neither reform nor any other that would improve the lives of citizens in BiH.

During the breaks in the meetings, SNSD initiated the dismissal of the Minister of Defense, Zukan Helez, which will be on the agenda of the House of Representatives of the BiH PA on December 21. On the same agenda is the request for the dismissal of SNSD's Staša Košarac, a proposal submitted by opposition representatives from FBiH and RS.

It is evident that there is a deadlock at the state level, and the deadlines set by the leaders themselves have long been missed. While Čović insists on the Election Law, and Dodik on the BiH Constitutional Court, the trio has not yet clearly articulated its positions and demands to its partners.

The trio's position is also complicated by the fact that they must deliver a large number of positions at the Federation of BiH level to HDZ, which the opposition rightfully hinders.