Thewesternbalkans
In a special interview for Euractiv, the United Nations High Representative for Bosnia, Christian Schmidt, told that EU leaders must be aware the country could be at great risk if the accession process is further delayed.
“We need to realise that these countries in the Western Balkans need European integration, otherwise they will be at great risk in the near future for many reasons,” Schmidt told Euractiv.
Schmidt admitted, however, that Bosnia’s EU accession “is not justified, based on merit and facts.”
He pointed to threats to Bosnia’s political stability, the danger of growing disillusion with the European Union, and a “dramatic brain drain” that would become unstoppable.
He described a fragmented country where citizens’ loyalty relies predominantly on their ethnic groups, which remain deeply partisan in their interpretation of Bosnia’s violent history.
“That is not compatible with European integration, where non-discrimination is front and centre,” he added.
“Bosnia-Herzegovina is one of the few, if not the only, country in the world that I know, where civic state is a dirty word for many people as it describes demarcation from one’s ethnic identity,” Schmidt told Euractiv.
Still, the peace envoy considers a faster accession process the only way forward. “If there is no perceptible development, then the European idea will not be very attractive to many people, even “gradual rapprochement and opening to the EU” would keep the hope for Europe alive. The next five years are crucial”.
Schmidt’s ambitious timeline is in danger as Hungary will take on the EU Council presidency. Many expect the Eurosceptic government in Budapest to delay accession proceedings. Nevertheless, Schmidt said he expects Hungary to call an intergovernmental conference by the end of the year to officially open the accession talks, but he maintains “a certain scepticism,” noting that preparations are moving slowly.
Schmidt emphasised that a major problem for Bosnia’s stability and accession is political entrepreneurs who exploit Bosnia’s ethnic divisions to boost their own power. This has exacerbated on both sides in recent years by the war in Ukraine.
Comments: In March 2024, the European Union leaders agreed to open EU accession talks with BiH eight years after they applied, but issues with the Republika Srpska entity led by Milorad Dodik, known for being close to Russia and prone to secessionist threats, loom large.
While the decision to start accession negotiations was welcomed, it was controversial as the country is still under the oversight of the United Nations (UN) after a civil war.
On the other side, the UN High Representative oversees the peace process, making them the de-facto highest-ranking official in Sarajevo, with to change legislation and dismiss officials unilaterallycials.
But Schmidt’s interventions with the country’s rules have often been controversial. Especially his decision to abruptly change electoral and constitutional laws after the 2022 elections saw him accused of entrenching blockades between the country’s ethnic groups.
