German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and UK Foreign Minister Phillip Hammond met with leaders in BiH today, and addressed the BiH parliament, to urge all parties to move forward on the new EU plan.
Under Europe’s new initiative for BiH, which was conceived by the UK and Germany, BiH authorities at all levels must commit, in writing, to a series of reforms in order to access additional EU funds. Last week, Republika Srpska president Milorad Dodik objected to the BiH Presidency’s draft letter of commitment, saying that it overstepped the bounds of the BiH-level government’s competencies. The visiting foreign ministers addressed Mr. Dodik’s concerns in their statements to Parliament.
“We need to see a momentum that will deliver a consensus for reforms. We know this will not be an easy journey,” he told the parliamentarians. “And I want to be clear about this – there is no hidden agenda, the EU strategy is not about weakening the entities and strengthening the state.”
The ministers stressed that while the EU is ready to work with BiH, the window of opportunity “will not be open forever.”
