Council of Europe supports Kovačević, BiH delegation led by Magazinović and Ćudić remains silent

(Patria) - During yesterday's discussion in the Council of Europe, concerning the Report on Bosnia and Herzegovina, the need to ensure equal political participation of all citizens in the political system of BiH was highlighted, among other things. Representative George Loucaides drew attention to this, referring to the merits of the Kovačević case ruling.

George Loucaides expressed full support for a multi-ethnic Bosnia and Herzegovina. He emphasized the need to respect the Constitution and territorial integrity of BiH. He called for full implementation of the European Court of Human Rights rulings, stressing that the Kovačević ruling provides important guidelines for ending systemic discrimination and ensuring equal political participation of all citizens, including those who identify as "Others".

He criticized the permanent political blockade through power-sharing mechanisms, warning that the Office of the High Representative (OHR) must not become a permanent substitute for domestic institutions, and that its closure is only possible through constitutional reforms.

He also emphasized the importance of resolving the issue of state property and protecting public goods from corruption.

Slaven Kovačević commented on the mentioned positions of the Council of Europe representatives for the Patria agency.

Slaven Kovačević

“I am grateful to representative George Loucaides for speaking about something that I myself have been saying, in the sense that the merits of the 'Kovačević' ruling, which was not considered by the Grand Chamber, represent important guidelines for ending systemic discrimination in Bosnia and Herzegovina with the aim of equal political participation of all citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina,” said Kovačević.

“He particularly emphasized that the use of the ethnic veto loses its meaning because it does not protect any collective rights, but on the contrary, it is used as a tool for permanent blockade of the legislative process. Such guidelines should be a guide for the eventual reform of the constitution and election legislation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, exclusively in accordance with European standards. A similar statement was made by the representative from Great Britain, Alicia Kearns, speaking about the need to move from an ethnic structure to a civic-oriented structure of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Unfortunately, I did not notice that the representatives from Bosnia and Herzegovina recognized and used this, which I consider disappointing,” Kovačević stated.

Namely, Bosnia and Herzegovina was represented in the Council of Europe by a delegation led by Saša Magazinović, along with Sabina Ćudić, Darjan Filipović, and other members. However, our delegation remained completely silent and without comment on these recommendations.