EU Council calls on leaders to find a solution for the House of Peoples of the Federal Parliament before the elections

The Council of the European Union at yesterday's session in Luxembourg adopted a series of conclusions on the countries of the Western Balkans, including Bosnia and Herzegovina in the process of stabilisation and association with the EU. 

- The Council welcomes the finalisation of the country's response to the European Commission's Questionnaire for its Opinion on the EU membership application through the coordination mechanism and calls on Bosnia and Herzegovina to continue using this important mechanism for the preparation of consistent and comprehensive strategic documents for the entire country, including those required by the Stabilisation and Association Agreement. The Council recalls that Bosnia and Herzegovina's EU membership application from February 2016 represents a strategic commitment to progress towards the EU, which must urgently be translated into comprehensive reform results on the ground. The Council welcomes the adoption of some EU-oriented reforms in Bosnia and Herzegovina, such as excise duties or country-wide strategies in the areas of environment and rural development. However, the Council notes with concern that divisive rhetoric and pre-election campaigns have significantly slowed the pace of reforms, particularly regarding the Reform Agenda.

- The Council reiterates that it expects Bosnia and Herzegovina to ensure the full and effective implementation of the Reform Agenda, in line with the Action Plan agreed with the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in consultation with civil society, for the benefit of its citizens and in close cooperation with the European Union, international financial institutions and international partners. Inclusive socio-economic reforms, strengthening the rule of law, including strengthening independence and impartiality, as well as accountability, professionalism and efficiency, the fight against corruption and organised crime, against radicalisation and terrorism, against irregular migration, as well as public administration reform in line with European standards at all levels of government, and further improvement of cooperation between all levels of government, remain the most important priorities.

The Council expresses regret over the lack of progress on freedom of expression and the building of independent media, and calls on Bosnia and Herzegovina to intensify efforts to address these issues.

- The Council calls on Bosnia and Herzegovina to adopt, as a matter of highest priority, the provisions of the Law on Criminal Procedure of Bosnia and Herzegovina in line with international standards. It also calls for the full adoption of the Law on Conflict of Interest as well as the Law on the Intelligence and Security Agency.

- The Council has taken note of the calling of general elections scheduled for 7 October 2018. The Council expresses regret over the lack of willingness to compromise shown so far by political parties and strongly calls on the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina to urgently amend the electoral framework with the aim of ensuring the implementation of the election results in October 2018. In this regard, all political leaders should take responsibility and find a solution regarding the House of Peoples of the Federation of BiH. The Council considers that electoral reforms should be approached in a spirit of dialogue, as an important issue, and also calls on Bosnia and Herzegovina to implement the recommendations of OSCE-ODIHR in order to bring the country closer to European standards, while improving democratic processes for future elections. The Council also has in mind that other issues related to the elections, including provisions for holding local elections in Mostar and for the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, should be addressed in due course after the elections, in line with European standards; in this regard, the Council emphasises that no legislative or political steps should be taken that would pose an additional challenge to the implementation of the Sejdić-Finci ruling and other related rulings. These reforms, however, cannot affect the further implementation of the Reform Agenda.

- The Council further reiterates its irrevocable commitment to the EU perspective of Bosnia and Herzegovina as a unique, united and sovereign country, and encourages all authorities and political forces in Bosnia and Herzegovina to overcome divisive rhetoric rooted in the past, stop glorifying convicted war criminals, and actively promote reconciliation, including through education. The Council encourages Bosnia and Herzegovina to further actively engage through regional cooperation and building neighbourly relations.

- The Council welcomes the progress achieved on economic development and competitiveness. However, in line with the Joint Conclusions of the Economic and Financial Dialogue between the EU and the Western Balkans and Turkey, the Council calls on Bosnia and Herzegovina to respond to key challenges such as weak rule of law, still weakened business environment, lack of a single economic space, fragmented regulatory environment, large and inefficient public administration, significant informal economy, weak access to finance for certain segments of the economy, corruption, labour market imbalances with high structural unemployment and low employment rate linked to a weakened education system, weak institutional capacities and lack of support for the investment climate, and to strengthen the comprehensive framework for bank resolution. The Council also reiterates the need for further efforts by the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the area of environmental protection.

The Council encourages the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina at all levels to actively commit to the process of preparing the European Commission's Opinion and contribute to the Commission's requests. The Council reiterates that during the preparation of the Opinion, the Commission will need to pay special attention to the implementation of the Sejdić-Finci ruling. Bearing in mind that the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina lists Bosniaks, Croats and Serbs as constituent peoples (together with Others), the Council reiterates that the principles of equality of all citizens and non-discrimination must be fully guaranteed. The Council will pronounce itself on the EU integration process of Bosnia and Herzegovina based on the future Opinion of the Commission on the country's EU membership application.