source: Srna/Frontal
“The fact is that there is a model and a proposal for
establishing a coordination mechanism, which is very important, as it
provides for all government levels in BiH to be capable of meeting their
obligations,” Cvijanovic told reporters after a meeting with a
delegation of Ambassadors of EU member states, led by the Head of the EU
Delegation to BiH, Peter Sorensen.
According to her, there will be more and more such obligations, as
the process is becoming more complex in every succeeding phase and
requires greater engagement by domestic institutions.
Cvijanovic added that the lack of a coordination mechanism has
already produced certain consequences which are evident in the fact that
certain IPA funds were “removed from the table.”
The Prime Minister concluded that there are suppositions for
implementing the Sejdic-Finci decision, recollecting the meeting of BiH
political party leaders with EU representatives in Brussels several
months ago when an agreement was reached.
Cvijanovic noted that the failure to implement the Sejdic-Finci
decision is “a formal obstacle to further progress to the EU, and the
lack of a coordination mechanism represents a fundamental obstacle as
without it the obligations set cannot be met, nor the EU funds drawn in
an appropriate way.
“I believe that a meeting on October 1, which will be organised by
the EU Enlargement Commissioner, Stefan Fule, will result in an
agreement which is necessary to ensure the further progress in that
process,” Cvijanovic said.
She stressed that she appreciates the engagement of the EU and of
each member state individually, as well as the role of the EU Delegation
to BiH, which in “an appropriate manner is approaching the BiH’s
meeting of its obligations on the European road and is at its disposal.”
Cvijanovic stressed that the priority goal of BiH at the moment is to get EU candidate status.
The EU Special Representative to BiH, Peter Sorensen, agreed that
European prospects for BiH exist, and that they are very much alive, as
the 28 EU member states want BiH to join the EU.
“BiH has a largest and best equipped EU Delegation, which is here to
help the country meet its obligations. BiH can do it if it wants; it
takes political will to do it and I believe such exists,” Sorensen said.
He added that this is why the high-level, October 1 meeting was scheduled.
“The consultations we have conducted since March this year showed
that there are options on which political party leaders can agree. We
proved that an agreement can be reached if people want it,” Sorensen
said.
He stressed that the EU is not punishing states that are in the
accession process, but firmly believes that BiH is imposing sanctions on
itself if there is no agreement.
Regarding IPA funds which were cancelled last week, Sorensen said
that the EU must ensure that funds which are allocated to countries in
the accession process are spent in a way which suits the taxpayers and
systems of the donor countries.
“The programme which was cancelled last week is a programme we tried
to implement for five years. It is hard to explain five years of lack
of progress and spending funds,” Sorensen added.
