Public information

The Stabilisation and Association negotiations between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the European Union are taking place. This is good. However, there are various misapprehensions about the process. This is less good.

In the view of Schwartz-Schilling, the International Community’s High Representative for BiH, the statement made by RS Prime Minister, Milorad Dodik, that everyone should be given the right of self-determination, including RS, does not cause even the slightest dilemma:

The High Representative/EU Special Representative today expressed disappointment at the lack of progress in police reform: "I was extremely disappointed by the news that the RS representatives have effectively withdrawn from the police restructuring process by downgrading their position in the Police Directorate Steering Board to that of observer s [...]

The EUSR/High Representative today highlighted the crucial role played by the Police Directorate, and repeated that progress on police reform is first of all important for Bosnia and Herzegovina to combat crime and, therefore, also a key requirement for BiH's EU integration.

The EU Special Representative - who is also the High Representative - Christian Schwarz-Schilling met with the Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and the Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn yesterday evening.

OHR welcomes today's Decision by EU Foreign Ministers to authorise the Commission to open negotiations on a Stabilisation and Association Agreement with Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The High Representative today welcomed the decision by the European Commission to recommend that EU Member Sates open negotiations on a Stabilisation and Association Agreement with BiH. He said that today's decision will put BiH firmly to the path that leads towards Europe, and marks the most decisive shift yet away from the country's post war real [...]

“Today delegates at the BiH House of Peoples voted in favour of the EC approved agreement on Police Reform, and by doing so opened to door to Europe,'' the High Representative said today. "Aside from the passage of the Public Broadcasting reform, this was the last major roadblock preventing BiH from starting Stabilisation and Association talks.'' [...]

- I am convinced that we will implement police reform in accordance with the EU requirements and with determination that police regions should cross the inter-Entity border line in those areas where this is necessary. It is of great importance that the EU and the U.S. are involved in monitoring this process, with a mandate and instruments to ensure [...]

Police reform in BiH could be accelerated if the financial structure of the state allows for that possibility. In an interview for «Dnevni avaz», the High Representative Paddy Ashdown explains that the deadline for the implementation of police reform has not been accidentally specified as a five-year period.