Comment & Debate
“Bosnia ‘Needs Greater Unity’ Before EU”. Bosnia Insight. 1 Oct. 2008 – Sarajevo _ Bosnia and Herzegovina must forge closer political unity before it can join the European Union, the country’s international envoy Miroslav Lacjak warned Wednesday.
Lacjak, the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, told Croatian media that membership of the 27-member bloc would be “impossible” without reforms to the constitution.
“With the current political set-up in accordance with the terms of the Dayton peace agreement, it is certainly impossible to join the EU,” Lajcak told the Croatian daily Jutarnji List.
The Dayton peace agreement, signed at the end of the Bosnian 1992-1995 war, spilt the former Yugoslav state in two — the Serb-dominated Republika Srpska and the Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim) and Croat-dominated Federation.
Each has its own government, police and judiciary, but central government institutions remain weak.
“Everyone knows this set-up is untenable in the long term… Bosnia and Herzegovina cannot be satisfied with it, it has to push further forward,” the Slovak diplomat said.
Reform aimed at strengthening central institutions failed in 2006. Renewed negotiations, due to start shortly, are likely to be difficult as the main political parties completely disagree with each other on possible solutions.
“My goal is to approach the process of constitutional change with a European perspective, to look for a solution which will speed up closer ties with the EU,” Lajcak said.