EU criticizes Bosnian leaders

EU officials have sent a letter to senior officials in Bosnia-Hercegovina expressing their concern at the political climate in that country. In the letter, French Foreign Minister head of the rotating EU Presidency Bernard Kouchner, EU Common Foreign and Security Policy Chief Javier Solana, and EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn express their concern at the policies pursued by the country’s leaders that seek to incite fear and division instead of integration. EU criticizes Bosnian leaders The letter was sent to the members of the Bosnian Presidency, the chairman of the Bosnian Council of Ministers and the prime ministers of the two entities, the Republic of Srpska (RS) and the Bosnian Federation. “By taking this path, you risk distancing Bosnia-Hercegovina from the EU. The EU reminds you of your sense of responsibility towards the citizens of Bosnia-Hercegovina, whose aspirations to join the EU you cannot fail to acknowledge,” say Kouchner, Rehn and Solana. They stress that attempts are being made through words and actions to call into question the fundamental structures of the Bosnian state as defined by the Dayton-Paris Accords, and that there must be a stop to rhetoric that runs counter to Bosnia-Hercegovina’s sovereignty or the survival of the RS. “At a time when the whole region is mobilizing to join the EU, the time has come for you to show the will for Bosnia-Hercegovina’s European integration through tangible actions, and prove that you are capable of dialogue and compromise, which are the basis for European construction,” the letter continues. It is added that in the last 13 years, Bosnia-Hercegovina, with the EU’s support, has implemented reforms of paramount importance for its stability and prosperity, and that the EU is ready to support states that join it, and that show full acceptance of the values the EU is founded on.

EU criticizes Bosnian leaders

The letter was sent to the members of the Bosnian Presidency, the chairman of the Bosnian Council of Ministers and the prime ministers of the two entities, the Republic of Srpska (RS) and the Bosnian Federation.

“By taking this path, you risk distancing Bosnia-Hercegovina from the EU. The EU reminds you of your sense of responsibility towards the citizens of Bosnia-Hercegovina, whose aspirations to join the EU you cannot fail to acknowledge,” say Kouchner, Rehn and Solana.

They stress that attempts are being made through words and actions to call into question the fundamental structures of the Bosnian state as defined by the Dayton-Paris Accords, and that there must be a stop to rhetoric that runs counter to Bosnia-Hercegovina’s sovereignty or the survival of the RS.

“At a time when the whole region is mobilizing to join the EU, the time has come for you to show the will for Bosnia-Hercegovina’s European integration through tangible actions, and prove that you are capable of dialogue and compromise, which are the basis for European construction,” the letter continues.

It is added that in the last 13 years, Bosnia-Hercegovina, with the EU’s support, has implemented reforms of paramount importance for its stability and prosperity, and that the EU is ready to support states that join it, and that show full acceptance of the values the EU is founded on.