HR-EUSR meets BiH Presidency
The High Representative and EU Special Representative,
Christian Schwarz-Schilling, is meeting today with the three members of
Mr Schwarz-Schilling is using this meeting to congratulate the Presidency on
Bosnia and Herzegovina
for Peace, to brief the Presidency on the recent meeting of the Peace
Implementation Council in
Brussels
and to discuss government formation.
On PfP membership, the High Representative and EU Special Representative will
make clear that if
Bosnia
and Herzegovina
wishes to take its relationship
with NATO further and eventually to join the
Alliance
as a member, full
implementation of the agreed defence reforms and further ICTY cooperation will
be necessary.
On the Brussels meeting of
PIC Political
Directors, the High Representative and EU Special Representative will stress the
importance of those reforms – in particular police restructuring – necessary for
concluding a Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the European Union, as
well as fiscal sustainability and the establishment of a functional state.
In terms of the OHR’s transition to EUSR, Mr Schwarz-Schilling will draw
attention to the fact that Political Directors had noted some areas of concern,
that they would be carefully monitoring and assessing the situation and that the
decision on the closure of the OHR would be reviewed and confirmed in
February.
Concerning government formation, Mr Schwarz-Schilling will make clear that
the fact that a government is yet to be formed at the State level is
unacceptable. He will also urge the Presidency, as the only functioning
State-level institution, to take the initiative to bring together the parties to
build coalitions and form a government.
CEFTA Signing Places BiH at Heart of Emerging Southeast European
Market
Today in
Trade Agreement for the whole of
will be signed – and
Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA), after seven months of difficult negotiations, is
another major step forward in the country’s recovery and integration in
The OHR would like to congratulate the BiH authorities and the chief
negotiator, Deputy Foreign Minister Anton Rill, for their professional and
robust approach to these negotiations, characterised by a clear and sustained
focus on the desired end result, namely securing for this country a place at the
heart of an emerging economic region that can deliver rapid growth and
prosperity to its 55 million inhabitants.
BiH Prime Minister Adnan Terzic will be joined at the signing ceremony by the
Prime Ministers of Albania,
Bulgaria
Croatia
Moldova
Montenegro
Romania
Serbia
former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
the UN Secretary General on behalf of Kosovo.
Today’s event will also be attended by Stability Pact Special Coordinator
Erhard Busek, Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn and a representative of the
Finnish Presidency of the European Union.
HR-EUSR Calls on Council of Ministers To Agree Review Process With
UN
The High Representative and EU Special Representative (HR-EUSR), Christian
Schwarz-Schilling, today calls on the Government of Bosnia and
communicate its decision to set up a review committee for the police
certification process to the United Nations in
The Government of Bosnia and
Herzegovina
has
an obligation under international law to implement the decisions of the
UN-mandated International Police Task Force Mission in
Bosnia and
Herzegovina
. The Council of Ministers must
ensure that
Bosnia and
Herzegovina
– through it’s actions – does not
put itself outside the international legal framework created by the United
Nations.
“I have worked intensively to persuade the United Nations to agree to a
review process and have some sympathy for the non-certified police,” said the
HR-EUSR today, “However,
Bosnia and Herzegovina
obligations under international law and behave accordingly”.
Mr Schwarz-Schilling has written to inform the United Nations of the latest
developments in
Bosnia and Herzegovina
lack of UN flexibility on this issue.
