Schilling: The West must help BiH fix the mistakes from Dayton!

For years, I have been calling for a new approach from the European Union towards BiH and stronger engagement from Germany, and that is why I could not continue my work as High Representative, stated exclusively for the BiH news agency Patria (NAP) Christian Schwarz-Schilling, former Head of OHR and German Federal Minister.

- I have precisely called for the international community to take responsibility, for the OHR not to be just an observer but to make decisions and implement its mandate properly. Because BiH is blocked due to the catastrophic constitutional position imposed by the international community – says Schilling.

The German politician has retired from active politics, but he continues to strongly lobby for Bosnia and Herzegovina in international circles. Today, the foreign ministers of EU member states are discussing a new approach towards BiH.

Commenting on yesterday's elections in Serbia, Schilling says it seems the region is entering calmer waters.

- I expected this result for Aleksandar Vučić, because he clearly stated some of his goals and plans. These elections showed that when there is agreement between what a politician says and what he does, people give their votes to that politician – says Schilling.

According to him, there are still things about Vučić that he disagrees with, but the Serbian politician has made progress, especially regarding Serbia's path towards the European Union. When it comes to the situation in BiH, the former High Representative emphasizes that it is full of illusions.

- Local politicians have illusions that they can play their games without solving the basic urgent problems of the people who live very difficult lives because of them. Politicians are to blame for low pensions, social assistance, and unemployment. It is high time they started solving problems, one by one. First, the constitution must be changed regarding Sejdić-Finci, so that the elections are legitimate – says Schilling, reminding that the implementation of that verdict has been awaited for four years.

However, Schilling particularly emphasizes that the core of the problem lies in the constitutional setup of BiH, where there are two entity constitutions and one state constitution that are not harmonized.

- This is where the international community comes in, which gave BiH that terrible constitutional framework. They must now help BiH to correct that mistake from Dayton. The Western world is trying to shirk responsibility, but it is responsible, and all other problems stem from that. Because, as we see in Ukraine, if there is no willingness for a sincere and honest approach, there will never be a solution for BiH – points out Schilling.