The priority in Bosnia and Herzegovina is to form a coalition government that can tackle the economic crisis and get the country back on the road to Europe, High Representative and EU Special Representative told a conference in Vienna today chaired by European Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule.

Noting that in the election of last October there was “a noticeable swing towards non-nationalist pragmatism among BiH voters” the HR/EUSR said there is now a large constituency “that wants a different, constructive policy to the short- and long-term benefit of the people, leaving stagnation behind.”

He said it will be necessary to reform the BiH constitution “so that legislation – including legislation laid out in the European Partnership and the Stabilisation and Association Agreement – cannot be easily blocked by a minority of politicians.”

“Citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina and citizens of the Western Balkans want the same rights and benefits as citizens in the EU,” the HR/EUSR said. “That means the right to prosper in a free market; it means the right to security through the rule of law; it means the right to free speech through independent media; and it means the right of every citizen to full democratic participation in state institutions.”

The HR/EUSR added that the EU will continue to support the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, taking into account specific characteristics of the country, but at the same time showing consistency in its conditions and unbending commitment to the EU’s own core values.

The full text of the HR/EUSR’s remarks can be accessed at www.ohr.int and www.europa.ba