The EU Commissioner for European Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations, Johannes Hahn, called upon Bosnia’s political leaders to honour an agreement they signed earlier in August and to finally form a government ten months after the October 2018 election in a tweet he posted on Wednesday.
Bosnia lacks a new Council of Ministers since the election because the Bosniak and Croat members of the tripartite Presidency refuse to vote for the new Prime Minister, who is supposed to come from the ruling Bosnian Serb party, because his party opposes sending the Annual National Programme (ANP) to NATO – the next step on Bosnia’s path to becoming a member of the alliance.
Although they agreed to Bosnia’s NATO membership before and signed off on the country taking over obligations regarding potential membership, including sending the ANP to Brussels, Bosnian Serb political leaders now vehemently oppose any activities that may bring the country closer to becoming a full member.
The leaders of the three right-wing parties which won the election signed an Agreement containing principles for forming the government on August 5 in an effort to overcome the stalemate, but the main issue, the ANP, is vaguely defined in the document.
The leaders set a deadline for the principles to be met and the government to be formed within 30 days. However, they still have differing interpretations on what the Agreement said regarding Bosnia’s relationship with NATO, so the issue remains unresolved.
“#BiH: 10 months after the elections #BiH citizens and #EU are rightly expecting a formation of the government to advance on necessary reforms and the #EU path. Local leaders set a 30-day deadline on 5 August. They need to honour their own commitment to stay credible.” EU Commissioner Johannes Hahn tweeted.