SNSD Proves They Are Russian Players: Will Bosnia and Herzegovina Face European Union Sanctions?

By: A. Vrabac

At today's session of the BiH Council of Ministers, ministers from SNSD did not support the EBRD resolution imposing sanctions on Russia and Belarus, i.e., suspending financial resources. In this way, BiH has found itself on the opposite side of the EU, which will surely have certain consequences.

The resolutions stipulate that the EBRD will not conduct new operations, i.e., loans or technical assistance, in the Russian Federation and Belarus, and will suspend or cancel disbursements of tranches in existing operations for these countries if possible.

Ministers of Bosniak nationality (SDA and DF) and ministers from HDZ supported the resolution, but without votes from the Serb representatives, we will not join the sanctions.

Such a scenario was expected after Milorad Dodik never faced sanctions from the European Union, nor from any individual EU member state, which has, in a way, emboldened him in his destructive campaign against BiH and his plans for the secession of Republika Srpska. Since the beginning of the Russian aggression against Ukraine, Dodik has advocated for the "stance of BiH's neutrality," and even held a conversation with the head of Russian diplomacy, Sergey Lavrov, on February 28. Dodik's loyalty to Russia could cost BiH.  

On the other hand, ministers from HDZ, although they supported the resolution under pressure from EU expectations and the public that closely follows every step of HDZ and Dragan Čović, counted on such a move by SNSD. If any sanctions are imposed on SNSD and Dodik, Čović and HDZ will be bypassed.

The deadline for voting is April 1, and after today's decision, BiH can only expect some form of sanctions or a different policy from the European Union. It should not be forgotten that the European Commission has already frozen 600 million euros for Corridor 5c, which is to be built on the territory of Republika Srpska, due to the blockade of institutions and Milorad Dodik's policies.

The application submitted by BiH institutions for candidate status will now remain just words on paper. After the rejection of a set of laws in the House of Peoples of the BiH Parliament, which are among the 14 priorities of the European Commission, and the failure to act on the démarche handed to the BiH Minister of Finance and Treasury, Vjekoslav Bevanda, by the Head of the EU Delegation, Johann Sattler, and representatives of eight EU embassies, we are left to await the European Union's next move towards BiH. It will certainly not be encouraging.