Bosnia police reforms: Another deadline missed

Bosnia’s politicians failed to agree on the reforms at last-ditch talks designed to bring Bosnia closer to the EU. After missing an earlier deadline on September 30, Thursday’s talks among the main political parties of Bosnia Herzegovina were seen as the last opportunity to agree on police reform – a precondition for concluding a treaty with Brussels - ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers on Monday. Bosnia police reforms: Another deadline missed “We were hoping for a miracle, but a miracle didn’t happen,” the top international official in Bosnia, Miroslav Lajcak, told media. He warned that he would be informing the EU of the failure when the new deadline runs out on October 15. “We don't have an agreement, we don't have a chance, a hope for an agreement, and we don't have a chance that this country is going towards Europe”, Lajcak told media after the meeting. “This is a decision by political leaders who think it is better to reject agreement, and this is the message that Bosnia-Herzegovina is sending today to Europe.” No details emerged from the meeting of Bosnia’s eight governing parties which ended on Thursday evening. Representatives of countries and international institutions engaged in Bosnia’s post-war reconstruction, the so-called Peace Implementation Council, PIC, will meet by the end of this month to discuss progress in the reform agenda and what measures to take, in case no agreement is reached on police reform.

Bosnia police reforms: Another deadline missed

“We were hoping for a miracle, but a miracle didn’t happen,” the top international official in Bosnia, Miroslav Lajčak, told media.

He warned that he would be informing the EU of the failure when the new deadline runs out on October 15.

“We don't have an agreement, we don't have a chance, a hope for an agreement, and we don't have a chance that this country is going towards Europe”, Lajčak told media after the meeting.

“This is a decision by political leaders who think it is better to reject agreement, and this is the message that Bosnia-Herzegovina is sending today to Europe.”

No details emerged from the meeting of Bosnia’s eight governing parties which ended on Thursday evening.

Representatives of countries and international institutions engaged in Bosnia’s post-war reconstruction, the so-called Peace Implementation Council, PIC, will meet by the end of this month to discuss progress in the reform agenda and what measures to take, in case no agreement is reached on police reform.