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BiH presidency passes statement over reforms, path to EU

Xinhua, January 31, 2015 Adjust font size:

Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) signed a statement on Friday, putting membership of EU as a strategic aim for the country.

The statement will be passed to leaders of political parties in BiH. After reply from parties, the statement was supposed to be adopted in both houses of Parliamentary Assembly of BiH.

The statement includes three points. First one refers to obligation to adopt mechanism of coordination between all levels of governments in BiH, in issues related to reforms necessary for process of integration into European Union.

"Institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina, according to constitutional competences, will include in their working programs reforms necessary for joining EU as a priority," it said.

The statement was agreed by all the three members of Presidency of BiH, Mladen Ivanic, Dragan Covic and Bakir Izetbegovic.

The second point refers on concrete measures, such as socio-economic policies, measures for further building of market economy, strengthening rule of law, process of reconciliation and strengthening administrative capabilities.

Third point refers to later phase in which BiH will change its constitution so as to finally apply a decision by the European Court of Human Rights.

The so-called case of "Sejdic and Finci" ruling involved Dervo Sejdic, a prominent Bosnian Roma and vice president of NGO Kali Sara Roma Information Center, and Jacob Finci, a prominent Bosnian Jew and Bosnia's ambassador to Switzerland, who launched an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights on the basis that BiH's Constitution violates the European Convention on Human Rights.

Under the Constitution of BiH, the presidency, which consists of three members, can only come from three constituent peoples: one Bosniak and one Croat elected from the Federation of BiH and one Serb elected from RS.

The European Court of Human Rights passed a ruling in favor of Sejdic and Finci in September 2009. The European Union has made the adoption of the ruling as a precondition for BiH to join the bloc. Endit