Bosnia Urged Not to Miss EU Opportunity

Bosnia lags far behind other countries in the region in its efforts to join the European Union but there is still time to meet the conditions tasked for a membership application, a discussion in Sarajevo on January 30 heard.

The debate was organized by a Sarajevo-based team of international young activists, called “Time for a plan B(alkan)”, which gathered students, local and foreign speakers.

Tija Memisevic, director of Sarajevo-based European Research Centre, said that one of Bosnia's major problems was that the elites had no real interest in furthering the process of European integration.

Memisevic said the project was usually presented to people in terms of economic stabilization, but the country had also to assure the functioning of democratic institutions.

“The elites in Serbia and in Bosnia who do not want to get involved in the real democratization of their countries tend to present the EU as a milk cow that will bring enormous amounts of funds,” Memisevic noted.

Jesenka Hadzajlija, from the the Bosnian Directorate for European Integration, DEI, said the country still faced many obstacles but it was firmly committed to membership.

“The standpoint of EU member states is that Bosnia's place is in the Union, and that is a chance the country cannot miss,” Hadzajlija said.

The process of EU integration had been slow due for many reasons, but Hadzajlija maintained that better times lie ahead for Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Bosnia still has three technical issues to solve before submitting a membership application.

One is implementation of the 2009 European Court of Human Rights verdict in the Sejdic and Finci case.

By March 12 Bosnia's state parliament must agree changes to the constitution to allow member of ethnic minorities - non-Serbs, Croats and Bosniak [Muslims] - to run for top government posts. A November 30 deadline to comply with the judgment has already been missed.

Other preconditions are adoption of a census law and a state aid law, which would regulate all levels of budget financing in the country.

Andy McGuffie, head of communications at the EU delegation to Bosnia, told Balkan Insight that it makes sense for Bosnia to join the European market; membership makes sense in terms of the benefits it could bring ordinary people in the country.

“We hope that EU reforms have created the conditions for economic growth and more employment,” McGuffie said.

But Bosnia's failure to form a state-level government almost 17 months after the last general election has meant that Bosnia has not implemented other vital reforms.

Without a new state government the EU cannot renew the 2008 Stabilization and Association Agreement, since no competent body exists to implement it.

Vjekoslav Bevanda was confirmed as Bosnia's new state Prime Minister on January 12 and various political parties have since proposed their ministers for the new state government. But formation of the government is still not officially completed.

In the region, only Bosnia and Kosovo have not applied for the EU membership.

Croatia is expected to join in 2013. Macedonia obtained candidate country status in 2005 and is currently seeking a start date for talks on membership. Montenegro and Serbia also hope to open accession negotiations shortly.