“The political climate in Bosnia and Herzegovina has worsened over the last few months and most reforms have come to a standstill”, High Representative and EU Special Representative Valentin Inzko told the Political and Security Committee (PSC), a key EU foreign policy body, in Brussels today.
The lack of trust and dialogue between political leaders has also affected the work of the political institutions, mostly at the state-level. Inzko pointed to the fact that the Chair of the Council of Ministers has blocked the appointment of a new Security Minister and inappropriately linked it to other appointments; that the BiH Parliament managed to adopt only about a dozen laws in the past six months; and that state institutions and companies like Eletroprenos continue to be undermined and challenged, primarily by the authorities of Republika Srpska.
Inzko also informed the PSC that the authorities in BiH had failed to make any substantial progress since June in meeting the five objectives and two conditions for OHR transition. In an effort to help complete the remaining requirements for this transition, the High Representative has set up a team that is currently compiling inventory of state property, which will allow BiH do decide on the apportionment of the identified property. Inzko also said that he took a series of technical decisions in view of ending Supervision for Brcko.
On a more positive note, Inzko noted that there has been some progress in addressing the outstanding conditions from the visa road map. He also welcomed the appointment of a new Director of the Directorate for European Integration, which should bring new energy to the country’s EU integration efforts.
The Political and Security Committee is a permanent body of the European Union, composed of representatives of all 27 EU member states. It plays a central part in defining the EU’s foreign and security policy, and preparing responses to crises.