REHN: BOSNIA MUST REFORM CONSTITUTION TO JOIN EUROPEAN UNION

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (October 10,2008) - Bosnia must reform its constitution and hold a census before becoming a candidate for European Union membership, the EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo today.

"We are in favour of constitution evolution which can be done and must be done in full respect of Dayton Peace Agreement," Rehn told reporters following a meeting with the Bosnian President Haris Silajdzic.

"It is important that the country will be able to speak with one voice as a future candidate country of the European Union," he stressed referring to a longstanding gridlock among Bosnia's main political parties over adopting constitutional reforms and strengthening central institutions.

"If I were to see nightmares I will see nightmares of Bosnia blocking the decision making in the EU because of its own political stalemates, because of a dysfunctional state structure," Rehn said.

He slammed local politicians over the current stalemate in reform process which is "hurting the country's progress towards EU" and the use of nationalistic rhetoric in the buildup to last Sunday's local elections.

The Bosnian President Haris Silajdzic protested that EU policy apportioned equal blame to all political leaders in Bosnia.

"Such an attitude towards Bosnia is my own nightmare," President Silajdzic told Rehn at a joint news conference. "This must stop because it does not help."

"Tell us who is failing to do things here -- it is the right time to say it," said President Silajdzic, accusing political representatives of the Serbians living in Bosnia of being the main obstructionist force.

"This neutral attitude does not help because it is not neutral -- it helps those who are keeping Bosnia on hold. There can be no neutral attitude - we are dealing with a very serious situation here," President Silajdzic said.

Rehn declined to respond to calls to name obstructionists, saying the European Commission policy was not "to participate in domestic politics by blaming different parties".

"What matters for us is that the legal, democratic and economic criteria of EU membership are met ... As regards the consequences, it is up to the people of the country to make political conclusions," Rehn kept avoiding to answer directly to remarks made by President Silajdzic.

Bosnia signed in June a Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the European Union, seen as the first step towards EU membership.

Rehn also said that Bosnia has to conduct a census in 2011 as the EU needs clear data in order to formulate policies for Bosnia.

However,Bosnian politicians warn that it would cement the results of the genocide against the Bosnian people committed by the genocidal Serbian fascist savages during the 1992-1995 Serbian aggression against Bosnia.
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THREE STUDIES ON BOSNIAN STATE ADMINISTRATION PRESENTED

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (February 20,2008) – Three studies dedicated to the issue of functioning of management of the Bosnian state administration were presented yesterday in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo. Those are the UNDP report entitled “Voice of the Silent Majority”, the Bosnian Foreign Policy Initiative’s “Management Structures in Bosnia” and University of Aberdeen’s Professor Dr. Michael Keating’s “Study on Federalism in Bosnia”.

As stated by one of the introducers, the Swedish Ambassador to Bosnia Lars-Erik Wingren, whose country financially supported the research, those works are aimed to offer an insight into the understanding of this issue in Biosnia.

According to him, the reports offer strong reasons for changes and they contain important reforms which are necessary for association to the EU.

Ambassador Wingren emphasized that it will be a long and painstaking process in all sectors of the Bosnian society, but that the Bosnian citizens will benefit in the end.

Ambassador of Holland to Bosnia Karel Vosskuhler, whose country also helped this research stated that the central element is the process which will bring all Bosnian state institutions closer to the EU standards, which is the biggest test for Bosnia's politicians.

Emphasizing that all has gone wrong in Bosnia after the refusal to adopt the April Package of constitutional changes, he emphasized that the politicians need to get out of their armour and make all the changes necessary to the Bosnian Constitution and achieve a consensus which is now gone.

Head of the Operations at the European Commission’s Delegation to Bosnia Ferdinand Kopp emphasized that the EU leaders recently re-emphasized their approach that the Union is open for all the countries of the Southeastern Europe.

”EU will work on your perspective but you need to fulfil all the conditions necessary for the integrations”, he said.

Kopp believes that the European perspective is the only vision there is for the countries of the Southeastern European region and, keeping in mind that there is a specific problem in Bosnia, EU membership would be the best way to overcome the wounds from the past.

”That is why there is no alternative to the reforms. Administrative reform is one of the most important reforms”, he said.

Kopp emphasized the fact that the public debate that has been going on has been giving signals that radical decisions need to be made in Bosnia in order to progress in the EU integration processes.
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