(ANSA) – BRUSSELS, FEB 13 – If Bosnia-Herzegovina wants to join the European Union, it must show “concrete results”, carry out “constitutional, political and electoral reforms”. This is the message sent out by the European Parliament to the leaders of Sarajevo, contained in a resolution approved by 468 votes in favor, 123 against and 83 abstentions by the Strasbourg plenary.
MEPs note that, since mid-2017, there has been a “significant slowdown” of Sarajevo’s commitment to the reform agenda. The EU lawmakers are concerned by a “widespread corruption” in the country, as well as the “persistent gap between the declared political will to fight it and the lack of concrete results”.
The Balkanic country has been stuck for over a year and a half in a neverending political campaign. The general election of 7 October was “dominated by ethnic-nationalist rhetoric and too focused on the divisions linked to the past, rather than proposing solutions to the daily concerns of citizens”, MEPs pointed out.
The EU lawmakers also ask for a rapid formation of the Federation’s House of Peoples, in line with the rulings of the Constitutional Court of the Balkan Country, and deplore the lack of progress on freedom of expression and independence of the media.(ANSA).
