“An independent state judiciary is the cornerstone of any democracy and a fundamental criteria for the EU; BiH is no exception to this rule,” High Representative and EU Special Representative Valentin Inzko told BH Chief Prosecutor Milorad Barasin when they met today in Sarajevo.

The HR/EUSR welcomed Prosecutor Barasin’s undertaking to continue to bring criminals to justice. “When politicians keep attacking judicial institutions, it raises doubts as to their dedication to the fight against crime,” said HR/ESR Inzko today.

“The existence or jurisdiction of State judicial institutions is not a question for the RSNA” said HR/EUSR Inzko.  The Constitutional Court, a Dayton institution, has twice ruled to confirm that the State has an obligation to establish the institutions necessary to carry out its responsibilities in this sphere. The OHR expects strong support to these institutions.

HR/EUSR Inzko told Prosecutor Barasin that the President of the European Commission, last week expressed the clear support of the EU for the State judiciary, and that the PIC Steering Board has also repeatedly expressed its support for the State’s judicial institutions.

“Attempts at subverting a State Level Law by an Entity would violate the Dayton Peace Agreement,” said Inzko.

An independent and impartial judicial system is essential to ensure the rule of law, advance human rights and freedoms as well as reconciliation, and to guarantee a functioning market economy. It is the cornerstone of any democracy and one of the key political requirements for EU accession and Euro-Atlantic Integration.