Greens do not give up, EU must stop indulging ethno-nationalists in BiH

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - Bosnia and Herzegovina is currently facing a "true state crisis due to ethno-nationalists' attempts to undermine the Dayton Peace Agreement and disagreements over the upcoming October 2022 elections," according to a statement from a group of Green/European Free Alliance (EFA) MEPs in the European Parliament.

The statement says that during this "time of instability," the Head of the EP Delegation for relations with BiH in the European Parliament, Romeo Franz, along with his colleague Thomas Waitz, an MEP, spent the last three days in Sarajevo meeting with political representatives and civil society actors.

"The purpose was to listen to parliamentarians, elected representatives, and civil society and to show solidarity with the actors in Bosnian society who are currently defending the vision of an inclusive, democratic, and multi-ethnic country," the statement reads.

"Bosnia and Herzegovina is facing a true state crisis, which threatens the stability and peace of the entire region. In this situation, our priority must be to ensure security and protect democratic rights," said Romeo Franz.

"This is primarily the responsibility of national political institutions, but the EU must also become more active. The policy of indulging self-proclaimed ethno-nationalist leaders has already failed in recent years and must be stopped immediately. On the contrary, I am convinced that those responsible for the crisis, primarily Milorad Dodik and the people around him, should be clearly named and sanctioned. We will have to lobby among EU governments to move towards the necessary qualified majority in the Council of the EU," he explained.

He emphasized that the current political crisis "is not a crisis caused by ethnic divisions" but is caused by "ethno-nationalist leaders who distract from the country's real political challenges that still need to be effectively addressed: the fight against corruption, the eradication of poverty, the creation of good jobs, environmental protection, and a promising perspective for the country's youth."

"Debates on constitutional reforms and the functioning of the state system must be conducted within the framework of state institutions, with democratically elected representatives in a transparent process, with strong participation of civil society and citizens. Therefore, I most strongly condemn all threats of boycotting or preventing elections. We must not allow citizens to be deprived of their democratic rights," he stated.