Bosnia and Herzegovina at the Crossroads

10.11.2007 by admin.

Comment: Bosnia and Herzegovina at the Crossroads

Matthew Rycroft

11 10 2007  Leaders of Bosnia and Herzegovina must adopt police reforms by October 15, or risk halting their country’s integration into the EU.

By Matthew Rycroft in Sarajevo

At the time of writing, Bosnia and Herzegovina is facing a moment of truth.

Will political leaders, at last, do what they said they would do two years ago and reach an agreement that meets the EU’s famous three principles on police reform? Or will they not? That choice needs to be made now – by October 15, when EU foreign ministers are due to issue a statement on Bosnia. There can be no more delay.

If they do, Bosnia will be on one path – positive, forward-looking, leading quickly to initialling the Stabilisation and Association Agreement, SAA, with Brussels, thereby paving the way for closer relations with the EU. After that it would move towards signing the SAA, becoming a candidate for EU membership, and eventually joining the EU.

However, if Bosnia’s politicians fail to agree, their country will be on a different track – stuck in the past, overtaken on the journey to Europe by all its neighbours.

That is the stark choice that has to be made, and a positive decision needs to be based on the EU’s three principles which stipulate that police legislation and the budget are determined at the Bosnian state level; the police are free of political interference; and police districts are established in line with professional criteria rather than on the basis of the inter-entity boundaries.

The international community is not neutral in this choice. Of course we want Bosnia to choose the path of integration, of joining the EU and NATO. That is because we know that membership of those organisations is good for the citizens of any country, and will be particularly beneficial for a state, like Bosnia, that is emerging from conflict. But we cannot possibly want this to happen more than the citizens of Bosnia must want it. We can help those in authority but we cannot make that choice for them.

Our future approach in this country will depend on the choice made. If the positive path is chosen, our engagement can change too. We can focus less on the backward-looking Bonn Powers and High Representative functions, and more on the forward-looking relationship with the EU. The citizens of Bosnia will be able to receive all the benefits that come from a closer relationship with the EU.

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http://www.birn.eu.com/en/107/10/5261/ 

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