The European Union agreed Thursday to open membership negotiations with Bosnia-Herzegovina, eight years after country first applied for EU membership. Last week European Commission said BiH made sufficient progress in aligning with the EU’s standards for opening accession talks.
About the significance of this decision, future reform process and European future of Bosnia and Herzegovina, we spoke with Elvira Habota, Director of Bosnian Directorate for EU Integration (DEI). The Directorate for European Integration coordinates and monitors the activities and tasks in the process of integration of Bosnia and Herzegovina into the European Union and cooperates with ministries and other administrative bodies in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
European Western Balkans: What does the opening of the accession talk with the EU mean for the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina?
Elvira Habota: The green light for the opening of negotiations is so far the strongest message on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s progress, which surged optimism for citizens, and a certain dose of pride. Opening of negotiations will not affect directly the every-day life of BiH citizens, but we can expect some positive effects on the economy and reforms processes.
Primarily, this is a good signal to credit rating agencies, international financial institutions and investors. In addition, the credibility of the country strengthens, and I really hope that it will initiate reforms, because they are the ones bringing a direct benefit to citizens.
EWB: Do you expect that the first negotiation chapters will be opened soon?
EH: The first procedural step before us is the adoption of negotiation framework by the EU, which will define key principles, procedures and institutional framework to conduct negotiations. Following that, the first phase of negotiations is the screening, where the BiH institutions, in cooperation with the European Commission, would analyse legislation to assess what we have done so far, and what remains to be transposed into our legal system from the EU acquis.
According to experiences of the neighbouring countries, this phase could take up to one year and a half. Only after this phase, conditions will be met to start opening the clusters, because the negotiations will be conducted in line with the ‘new methodology’ adopted in 2020. It is clear that we will open first the Cluster 1. This cluster includes chapters 23 (Fundamental rights) and 24 (Justice, freedom and security), and the speed of progress in these areas will definitely influence the speed of negotiations.
EWB: In the previous period, the authorities in BiH have undertaken numerous activities that have been awaited for years in order to open negotiations. Will this reform momentum continue?
EH: Representatives of the European Commission have recently stated that more has been achieved in the past year, than in the last ten years. And indeed, a lot has been done. Some issues that were pending, I dare say, more than a decade have been completed.
An example is the Programme of Integration in the EU, whose draft the Directorate for European Integration submitted to the European Commission for comments earlier this month. Or, for example, just this week, the Council of Ministers of BiH adopted the Public Procurement Strategy, which was also pending for some time, and it is, same as the Programme of Integration, a step forward in implementation of the priorities from the European Commission’s Opinion.
I believe that this trend would continue, because the pace of further progress is in direct link with concrete results.
EWB: How much internal political crisis and instabilities could slow down the reform process?
EH: One of the lessons we could learn both from others, and from our own experience is that the progress in the European integration process requires a strong political support from both the executive and legislative branch, and this support is demonstrated primarily by continuous work and results. Every political crisis, external or internal, diverts attention from specific tasks and consumes time, which is a very significant resource in the European integration process.
EWB: The EU institutions are working on operationalization of the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans. What we know so far is that funds will be conditioned by strict criteria related to reforms. Some governments in the region have already prepared reform agenda. Have the authorities in BiH drafted such a document, and on which reforms do you expect the EU to insist?
EH: Immediately after publication of the Growth Plan late last year, the BiH authorities took steps to prepare the Reform Agenda. The Working Team, appointed in January to include representatives of all levels, are currently conducting activities to that effect. One part of the tasks in preparation of the List of Reforms has been completed and sent to the European Commission, and the rest is addressed.
It is reasonable to expect that the European Commission would closely follow the reforms concerning the implementation of their recommendations, including those from the annual Enlargement Package and the Economic Reforms Programme, as presented in the proposal of the Regulation on establishing the Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans.
EWB: BiH is still the only member state in the region that has not ratified the Agreement on Freedom of Movement with ID cards signed within the Berlin Process. Can any changes be expected in this regard in the near future?
EH: At the end of the year, the Presidency of BiH adopted decisions on ratification of the Agreement on Recognition of Higher Education Qualifications in the Western Balkans and the Agreement of Recognition of Professional Qualification of Medical Doctors, Dental Medicine Doctors and Architects. Regarding the Agreement on Free Movement with Identity Cards, as well as any other matters which do not fall within our purview, it is difficult to give any estimates.
I can only hope that relevant institutions would address this matter as soon as possible, having in mind regional initiatives that we are a part of and establishment of a common regional market.