SARAJEVO – Luigi Soreca, Head of the EU Delegation to BiH, expressed regret that the meeting of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, scheduled for 8 December, was cancelled due to the lack of consensus on the agenda. The session was to cover 33 points, including the Draft Law on the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of BiH (HJPC), amendments to the Law on the Courts, as well as the establishment of the Office of BiH’s Chief Negotiator with the EU.
These steps must be taken so that the first Intergovernmental Conference to launch the EU accession negotiations of BiH can be organised.
“Today’s unsuccessful session of the Council of Ministers of BiH is another missed opportunity for Bosnia and Herzegovina to make progress towards a future in the EU. Today’s unsuccessful session of the Council of Ministers of BiH is another missed opportunity for Bosnia and Herzegovina to make progress towards a future in the EU”, Soreca wrote on X.
He stressed that “the window of opportunity to move forward on the EU path must not be missed”, adding that it might not be there forever.
“We call on political actors to focus on fulfilling the remaining steps, including the adoption of the Law on the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council and the Law on Courts in line with European standards, and the appointment of a chief negotiator and a negotiating team that can represent the country with one voice”, Soreca remarked.
He assessed that the majority of BiH citizens across the country “want a future in the European Union”, and that the goal can only become a reality with political will.
“Nezavisne novine” reports that seven members of the Council of Ministers of BiH voted for the proposed agenda, while two of them were against, which was not enough for the meeting to take place. The article notes that the work of the Council of Ministers of BiH was obstructed by ministers Staša Košarac and Srđan Amidžić, representatives of the SNDS party, led by Milorad Dodik.
Edin Forto, Minister of Transport and Communications of BiH, accused SNSD of “blocking our EU path and the Council of Ministers”.
On the other hand, SNSD stated that it did not block the work of institutions and that “issues that are not harmonised with the institutions of Republika Srpska cannot be put on the agenda”.
Borjana Krišto, Chairwoman of the Council of Ministers of BiH, said that the “political will was absent” from the last session, adding that she called a new meeting, which should take place on 16 December.
