The benefits of being a part of this unique and dynamic organization are precisely what has made it grow from its initial 6 members to the current 27 (and soon 28); free access to a market of over 500 million people; free movement of people, goods, services and money; peace, stability and respect for human rights and an overall improvement of citizens’ living standards, just to mention a few.
Bosnia and Herzegovina and the EU already have a long relationship. Even before being recognized as a potential candidate, the country was receiving an unprecedented amount of the Union's aid and engagement. Through its different assistance programmes at national level the EU has contributed more than 3 billion euro of grant money in the past 20 years. In doing so, the aspiration was and is not to bestow the country with ‘aid’ in general, but to support it in making essential and comprehensive reforms, whose final outcome will be a Bosnia and Herzegovina fully prepared to engage with the European Union in every aspect.
Budget support and macro financial assistance, aimed at stabilizing the country's overall economic framework on the bumpy road of reforms, have also been made available and in 2012 alone they total 100 million euro. In addition, the EU member states have allocated a very large amount of resources to BiH through their bilateral assistance programmes. Finally, it should not be forgotten that the EU has been a major contributor – via the EU budget as well as budgets of the individual member states – to peace keeping (SFOR and EUFOR) and the rule of law (EUPM) in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
We have always been clear that Bosnia and Herzegovina's path to the EU is a partnership exercise. Therefore it is high time for Bosnia and Herzegovina to take responsibility for making decisive leaps and moving closer to the EU politically – beginning by setting the EU agenda as a national priority and demonstrating this strongly in deeds.
Specifically, there is an urgent need for the domestic political elites to take responsibility for the country's next immediate EU accession step – putting the Stabilisation and Association Agreement fully into force and a subsequent credible application for membership. The two conditions enabling this, also incorporated into the Road Map of June 2012, are well known: implementation of the judgement in the Sejdic-Finci case in order to align the constitution with the European Convention on Human Rights; and creation of a coordination mechanism that will allow BiH to speak with one voice on EU matters. The EU is resolute in its support for BiH as it deals with these and the future challenges that lie ahead on the way towards the Union.
All this is happening in a wider context. The past year has seen major progress by a number of Western Balkans region countries on their path towards the EU. Croatia will become a member state on 1 July 2013, the first chapter was opened in the accession negotiations with Montenegro, and Serbia has received candidate status. On the other hand, the 2012 Progress Report stated that there has been almost no progress in Bosnia and Herzegovina and that some reform processes are even appearing to take a backwards momentum. Delays first in forming the Council of Ministers and now with the ongoing reshuffle of the governing coalition have hampered the BiH Parliament's legislative capacity – but this is hardly a satisfactory excuse for 70 percent of BiH citizens who want to see progress on the EU agenda.
Bosnia and Herzegovina belongs in the European Union. We are alike in being ethnically, culturally, historically and religiously diverse. Therefore, it is natural and logical for this country to see its tangible future in the family of European nations. Even as the EU faces the challenges of the global financial crisis, which cause understandable uncertainty, I firmly believe that we should look back and see the essential benefits that the EU’s citizens have built over the past six decades and now enjoy – peace, democracy and respect for human rights. Nothing less than this, I am convinced, is wanted by every citizen of this country.
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