In a joint statement released today, the US embassy, the EU Delegation to BiH, and the Office of the High Representative express concern over the “politicization” of issue of residence in BiH. A BiH-level law regulating residency has been stalled by Federation-based parties for some time. Recently the government of Republika Srpska announced measures to implement some regulatory measures within the entity until such time as the BiH-level law is passed. But according to the joint statement, such measures are “not acceptable” to the international community.
Existing state-level legislation regulating residency must be respected until it is amended. Unilateral attempts to regulate this matter at entity level, such as the RS’s recent decision on “verifying the accuracy and truthfulness of data when applying for permanent residence”, go beyond existing legislation and are not acceptable. It is equally unacceptable for other political actors to block the functioning of state institutions, such as the BiH House of Peoples, thus preventing the normal democratic interplay between various interests that would enable compromises for potential amendments of the BiH law on residence to be found.
