A debate on the reports on the progress made by the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) was held yesterday during the European Parliament’s plenary session. Štefan Füle, European Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy, made his remarks on the progress of the two Balkan countries.
Bosnia-Hercegovina is not expected to join the EU until 2015 at the earliest. Füle expressed his regrets on the country’s progress. BiH is still suffering by ethnic divisions and political instability. The Commissioners also underlined the lack of progress on the Sejdić-Finci case. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled that Bosnia’s constitution violates the human rights laws. In concrete terms, only Bosniaks, Croats and Serbs are allowed to run for high office. The Commissioner urged BiH to implement the ECHR’s ruling before next year’s elections. “The time has come now not to threaten but to make it very clear: you need to deal with the ECHR ruling, you need to align the Constitution with that decision, because without it you will be in breach of international commitments and this has its consequences” said Mr. Fule.
Stefan Fule stressed FYROM’s progress in tackling corruption, preserving human rights, promoting police reforms and fostering good border relations with Greece and Bulgaria. However he expressed his concerns on the political crisis that erupted last year between the government and the opposition party, the Social Democratic Alliance (SDSM). After the mediation efforts of the EU Commissioner the two parties signed an agreement to overcome the crisis. However, some parts of the agreement haven’t been implemented. “In June, the Council will decide whether to accept the Commission's recommendation to open accession negotiations” said Mr. Fule and urged the country to implement the agreement.
