Member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Denis Bećirović wrote in an author’s text for a German journal International Politics and Society (IPG) about the current European integration process of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the perspective of membership in the context of candidate status for membership in the European Union and new geopolitical circumstances.
As he stated, among other things, the fact that Bosnia and Herzegovina received the EU candidate status after decades of obstacles and uncertainty is undoubtedly an important achievement for both BiH and the EU.
However, examining the steps ahead to full membership of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the EU would be incomplete without looking at the wider context, in particular the country’s relationship with its neighbours.
He stressed that taking on such a constructive role requires looking at the future as well as drawing lessons from the recent past. Among other things, this implies a new approach based on values such as human rights, the rule of law, mutual respect and tolerance.
“Given the determination of the competent institutions, the high degree of political consensus, as well as the obvious support of public opinion regarding its EU integration, it is clear that Bosnia and Herzegovina has waited too long for its candidate status,” said Bećirović in his text.
He emphasizes that the main perpetrators of the current hurdles and blockades on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s European and Euro-Atlantic path are domestic ‘anti-Europeans’. They disregard a potential EU membership, aware that the upcoming civilisational processes will compel them to respect the rules and standards imposed by the EU legislative environment. They understand that they would then have to give a chance to some other forces on the political stage.
In addition, it is important that the EU does not make new mistakes in regard to Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the last decade, lenient policies towards the destructive politicians who openly threatened the Dayton Peace Agreement and the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the hesitation and unwillingness to sanction radical politicians who threatened peace in the country and the region was amongst the biggest mistakes the EU has committed.
“If the EU had acted more firmly in the last 10 years, Bosnia and Herzegovina would have been spared from many crises. Procrastination, hesitation and indecision only encouraged separatist and pro-Russian forces to openly undermine fundamental European values. The EU should never again behave weakly and indecisively towards our country,” said a BiH Presidency member in his text, announcing the BiH Presidency.
