GRAVE MESSAGES: Either the rights of all three peoples will be respected, or there will be no peaceful and stable BiH

Members of the Croatian Parliament in the European Parliament visited Mostar today, where they attended today's session of the Croatian National Assembly of BiH, after which they held a press conference. The discussion focused on amendments to the Election Law, as well as sanctions against Milorad Dodik, member of the BiH Presidency. They agreed that the European Union sanctions against Dodik are not realistic.

Željana Zovko emphasized that this is the first time they are together on a mission in BiH, with the aim of establishing the full context of the current situation in BiH, i.e., how far the amendments to the Election Law have progressed and what they, as representatives of HDZ Croatia and as MEPs, can do.

Tomislav Sokol stated that there has been a wrong perception in the EU about the state of institutions in BiH for a very long time.

"Those who advocated for a unitary story, a false BiH, that story has taken root within European institutions. Many myths are spread there, one of which is that only a civic, or unitary BiH, is a European BiH. Quite the opposite. Representatives of the constituent peoples must agree among themselves. No one from outside will impose anything, not even from Croatia. But the concept of greater subsidiarity, the transfer of competencies to the local level, and of course, the protection of collective political rights of peoples is the future of BiH," said Sokol.

Karlo Ressler stated that the current situation is dangerous and that we are at the beginning of a pivotal year, which is why they are here.

"The goal of the visit is to get first-hand information – what is happening in BiH, and also to explain the complex situation that exists on the diplomatic level to the members of the Croatian National Assembly. In the EP, there is a demand for a policy in BiH that will be civic and unitary. This is not the only unique model, and we do not see the rights of individuals as being in conflict with the rights of ethnic communities, in this case, the three constituent peoples. The key message we are conveying to the EP is: Either the rights of all constituent peoples, all three of them, including Croats as the smallest minority, will be respected, or there will be no peaceful and stable BiH that we all want," Ressler emphasized.

They also commented on the US sanctions against Milorad Dodik. Sokol said that the situation is clear at the EU level.

"Such a decision is always made at the level of the Council of the EU, with the unity of all 27 member states. It is impossible to speculate whether that could happen. My assessment is that it does not seem realistic," he said.

Ressler stated that Dodik is not the only one facing sanctions, and he would not want the whole story to be reduced to Dodik.

"I said in the EP that the fundamental problems of BiH are structural. Dodik is not the main problem; the main problem is the disenfranchisement of one of the constituent peoples, the denial of fundamental European principles, and this can be resolved through the Election Law," he said.

Zovko asked how this country would function if any part of it were sanctioned in terms of financing and IPA funds.

"It is a tragic situation that we live by 'may my neighbor's cow die,' instead of directing all efforts towards a country that uses IPA funds the least and whose money is used to finance 26 years of international administration, to deal with sanctioning parts of the country. 14.2 billion [euros] are standing and will remain unused, and whoever gets it first will get it. If we continue with the crisis situation in this country, there will be no one to sanction," Zovko concluded.

Members of the Croatian Parliament in the European Parliament are expected to visit Kiseljak today.