PACE adopts resolution on Bosnia
The Chair of the Delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina (PABiH) to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Saša Magazinović, the Deputy Chair of the Delegation Darijana Filipović, and delegation members Branislav Borenović, Sabina Ćudić and Mladen Bosić took part last night, during the winter session of PACE in Strasbourg, in the plenary debate on the monitoring report on Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The report entitled “The functioning of democratic institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina” was presented by PACE Monitoring Committee rapporteurs Zsolt Németh (Hungary) and Pablo Hispán (Spain), CE Report informs via the BiH Parliament official website.
Along with the report, the rapporteurs also submitted a Draft Resolution, which was adopted after the debate, as it was supported by all political groups in PACE.
In his address to the PACE plenary, Saša Magazinović thanked the rapporteurs for clearly underlining two extremely important and unquestionable facts in the report: that the mandate of the High Representative is legitimate and undisputed, and that state property can and must be managed exclusively by the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Magazinović particularly stressed that the public broadcasting system in Bosnia and Herzegovina is in the most difficult situation in its history, not because of a lack of funds, but because, as he warned, parts of the political elite are deliberately working to dismantle it. In this regard, he called on the Council of Europe to become actively involved in resolving this problem.
He said that crises in Bosnia and Herzegovina do not occur by accident, but are manufactured to conceal forms of brutal crime, emphasizing that at the root of almost all problems and crises in the country lies crime with a political background. Therefore, he argued, the greatest assistance Bosnia and Herzegovina can receive today is strong, decisive and consistent support in the fight against crime and corruption.
At the end of his speech, Magazinović also warned about violence against women in Bosnia and Herzegovina as a growing and deeply worrying problem, expressing the expectation that the Council of Europe will intensify its engagement in the coming period to help put an end to this violence through concrete policies and protection mechanisms.
In his address to PACE, Delegation member Branislav Borenović expressed confidence that Bosnia and Herzegovina can make a major step forward on its European path, despite the fact that, as he said, certain ruling political elites have been obstructing European integration and the democratization of society for years, even decades.
Borenović emphasized that European integration is a process in which citizens have high expectations, especially regarding full freedom of movement and easier flow of goods for the BiH economy. He warned about a serious problem currently facing the transport sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina — what he described as incredible, unnecessary and discriminatory restrictions on the work and operations of BiH transport companies and their colleagues from across the Western Balkans in European countries.
Borenović said he believes that, through dedicated work on establishing the rule of law and adopting EU standards and rules, while respecting the constitutional framework and the Dayton Peace Agreement, Bosnia and Herzegovina could close the Office of the High Representative (OHR), replace foreign judges in the Constitutional Court of BiH with domestic ones, and fully take over governance of the country through fair and honest elections, strengthening domestic institutions, especially the judiciary, and creating conditions for a good life for all citizens.
Due to time constraints, Deputy Chair Darijana Filipović and Delegation members Mladen Bosić and Sabina Ćudić submitted their statements in written form.
In the adopted PACE Resolution, it is noted that the legal framework amended in March 2024 to enhance the integrity and transparency of the electoral process is being gradually implemented. PACE welcomed the fact that these reforms should align electoral legislation with European standards, particularly with the recommendations of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO), and the European Commission for Democracy through Law (the Venice Commission).
PACE called on the authorities of Republika Srpska to immediately launch the procedure for appointing judges to the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in accordance with the Constitution and relevant laws, in order to ensure the Court’s full functioning, institutional stability and effective exercise of its constitutional mandate.
PACE also recalled the need for constitutional reform in Bosnia and Herzegovina to implement the judgment “Sejdić and Finci v. Bosnia and Herzegovina.” In this context, PACE welcomed the establishment of a working group to prepare amendments to the BiH Constitution and a draft law amending the Election Law of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In the adopted Resolution, PACE encouraged the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina to continue cooperation with the Council of Europe, particularly with the Venice Commission, and to make full use of its expertise in the process of electoral and constitutional reform.
Photo BiH Parliament
