Once again, it came as no surprise that Marta Kos’s arrival in Sarajevo did not bring everyone to the same table. Each time the story is the same – Brussels sends a message of optimism, and from Republika Srpska comes a reminder that no one here is ready to accept everything just to become “part of Europe.” This time, the message from the European Union was clear: without Republika Srpska there is no candidate status for BiH. It sounds like recognition, but politically it resembles more of a warning.
“This year we conducted a survey among Europeans, and the majority want to see further growth of the EU. In Austria, Croatia, and Slovenia, BiH enjoys the greatest support of all our candidate countries. Europeans want BiH in the EU. Your people want accession, 67% say they would vote for EU membership. Even in Republika Srpska, 50% say they would vote for EU membership. Let’s work together and make a breakthrough for BiH,” emphasized EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos.
Research from Republika Srpska shows otherwise.
“Back in 2022, the number was around 42% explicitly saying they supported EU accession. According to the latest research, that number is around 34%. It’s important to note that in earlier periods it was even higher, sometimes exceeding 50%. However, due to political as well as economic circumstances, the number has declined,” explained Nikola Vidović, analyst from the Metrix agency.
One of the key obstacles on the path to the EU remains the implementation of the so-called 14 priorities. And by all accounts, BiH is still at a standstill on that issue.
“The view of the EU path is the best indicator that here in Republika Srpska there is neither desire nor readiness for politicians to pursue the EU. The real orientation of the authorities and leadership of Republika Srpska is not the European path. Why? Because that, on the other hand, would require a fight against crime and corruption, and BiH ranks at the bottom of that scale,” said Slaviša Marković, Chairman of the Committee for European Integration and Regional Cooperation.
SNSD boycotted Marta Kos’s speech in Parliament. Nikola Špirić stressed that Republika Srpska is not preparing secession, does not threaten territorial integrity, but has the right to decision-making.
“BiH’s path to the EU is not a purely bureaucratic one depending only on the decisions of bureaucracy wherever it is located. Republika Srpska does not want to be merely an object of decision-making in BiH, but a subject, which is its right under Dayton and the Constitution – not a place for failed projects of Sarajevo and collapsed international experiments,” emphasized Nikola Špirić, Speaker of the House of Peoples of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly.
Everywhere in the world a coin has two sides, only in BiH it has three – Serb, Croat, and Bosniak. It has never proved useful when a representative of the international community takes one of those sides. That was the case this time as well – Schmidt is seen as the main obstacle to the European path.
“We are for the EU and European values, but at the same time we oppose unelected foreigners making decisions, imposing laws, and the fact that Christian Schmidt is the main brake on BiH’s EU path. As long as we have a High Representative, we will not be able to become a member of the EU,” said Milan Petković, head of the SNSD caucus in the House of Representatives of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly.
While the EU Commissioner tries to build a bridge between Brussels and Banja Luka, political reality shows that the bridge still stands only on pillars.
The European path is possible, but only if all players agree to the same rules. For now, that seems to remain somewhere across the river.
Source: Atv
