Soreca welcomes Frontex agreement: I hope there will be political will for the remaining steps

(Patria) - Head of the EU Delegation to BiH Luigi Soreca attended the signing of the Frontex Status Agreement between the European Union and Bosnia and Herzegovina in Brussels today. As he said, the signing of this Agreement marks a turning point on Bosnia and Herzegovina's path to European integration.

The European Council decided on March 21, 2024 to open accession negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina after the necessary steps are fulfilled. One of those steps includes "progress in border management and migration management capacities".

"Today's step forward is of particular importance because it comes at a time when Bosnia and Herzegovina is immersed in a deep political crisis that has, unfortunately, almost completely halted progress in European integration.

Negotiations on this Agreement first required political-level engagement to initiate them; Second, they required the Bosnia and Herzegovina negotiating team (composed of twelve members from nine different institutions at all levels of government) to overcome disagreements and reach consensus on compromise solutions during detailed negotiations with the Commission; And third, ultimately, they required the Council of Ministers and the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina to approve the outcomes of the negotiations and give the green light for the signing of the Agreement, and this in politically challenging times.

This is yet another confirmation that Bosnia and Herzegovina, despite all its complexities, has the capacity to make progress when there is sufficient political will," Soreca stated.

He added that he hopes we will witness the same political will for the few remaining steps that Bosnia and Herzegovina needs to take before organizing the first Intergovernmental Conference.

Although he did not specify, Soreca referred to several obligations, including two laws that the EU has set before BiH. These are the adoption of the budget of BiH institutions for 2025, the appointment of the chief negotiator with the EU, and the adoption of the Law on the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council (HJPC) and the Law on the Court of BiH.

Regarding the Law on the HJPC, it was not adopted at the last session of the House of Peoples of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly on June 5, when eight delegates voted against it. The law was proposed by the Council of Ministers of BiH.

Regarding the Law on the Court of BiH, the Council of Ministers of BiH never even considered it, and then two new proposals appeared in the parliamentary procedure. In the House of Representatives of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly, representative Predrag Kojović (NS) submitted his proposal, and in the House of Peoples of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly, delegate Marina Pendeš (HDZ) submitted hers.

Regarding both proposals, the OSCE and the Court of BiH have provided comments suggesting the return of two competencies that they have under the current Law on the Court of BiH.

Minister of Justice of BiH Davor Bunoza (HDZ) said yesterday for BHRT that he would support both laws that are in the procedure, but that he does not believe BiH will fulfill the obligations set before it by the EU.

He particularly expressed dissatisfaction that the Law on the HJPC was not adopted in the House of Peoples of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly.

Regarding the comments of the OSCE and the Court of BiH on the removed competencies, Bunoza said that the Court has not acted on those competencies so far, and that everything is covered by the Criminal Code of BiH as well as the revised War Crimes Strategy.

At tomorrow's session of the House of Representatives of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly, Kojović's proposal for the Law on the Court is also on the agenda, and even if it is adopted, for now there is no majority to support it in the House of Peoples of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly.

Incidentally, the session of this house, which was interrupted on June 5, was supposed to continue this week, but delegates have still not received notification of the continuation date.