MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION

8.2.2006

to wind up the debate on statements by the Council and Commission
pursuant to Rule 103(2) of the Rules of Procedure
by Jan Marinus Wiersma, Hannes Swoboda and Panagiotis Beglitis
on behalf of the PSE Group
on the outlook for Bosnia-Herzegovina

B6‑0100/2006

European Parliament resolution on the outlook for Bosnia-Herzegovina

The European Parliament,

–  having regard to its previous resolutions on Bosnia and Herzegovina and the western Balkans, in particular that of 14 April 2005 on the state of regional integration in the western Balkans[1], that of 17 November 2004 on the European Union military operation ‘Althea’ in Bosnia and Herzegovina[2] and that of 7 July 2005 on Srebrenica[3],

–  having regard to previous resolutions of the United Nations, in particular UN Security Council Resolution No 827 of 25 May 1993, whereby the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) was set up, and having regard to the fact that, since its creation, the ICTY has singled out some of the worst war criminals and brought them to justice, but the most wanted persons are still at large,

–  having regard to the stabilisation and association process for the countries of the western Balkans initiated by the EU in 1999 in an effort to promote democratisation, justice, reconciliation and peace in the region,

–  having regard to the Presidency Conclusions of the Thessaloniki European Council of 21 June 2003, which confirmed the EU’s support for the European perspective of the western Balkan countries, which will become an integral part of the EU once they meet the established criteria,

–  having regard to the Presidency Conclusions of the Brussels European Council of 16 and 17 June 2005, which reaffirmed the European Council’s commitment to full implementation of the Thessaloniki agenda, noting that each country’s progress towards European integration depends on its efforts to comply with the Copenhagen criteria and the conditionality of the stabilisation and association process,

–  having regard to the Commission communication on the 2005 enlargement strategy paper (COM(2005)0561),

–  having regard to the Commission communication entitled ‘The western Balkans on the road to the EU: consolidating stability and raising prosperity’ (COM(2006)0027),

–  having regard to the Council’s political agreement of 12 December 2005 on draft decisions on the principles, priorities and conditions contained in the European partnership with Bosnia and Herzegovina,

–  having regard to Rule 103(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.  Whereas, over the last three years, the countries of the western Balkans have made considerable progress in stabilisation and reconciliation, internal reform and regional cooperation; whereas, as a result, they have moved closer to the EU, which has opened accession negotiations with Croatia, granted candidate status to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, is nearing conclusion of a stabilisation and association agreement with Albania, and has opened stabilisation and association agreement negotiations with Serbia and Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina; whereas the political process for reaching a decision on Kosovo’s future status has begun,

B.  Whereas the EU’s objective is to promote stability, security and prosperity in the western Balkans (including Bosnia and Herzegovina) through the region’s progressive integration into the European mainstream,

C.  Whereas securing peace and stability in the western Balkans remains of the utmost importance for the future and the full implementation of the Thessaloniki agenda and plays a key role in achieving the objectives of the stabilisation and association process,

D.  Whereas NATO successfully concluded the mission of the Stabilisation Force (SFOR) and the European Union took over responsibility on 2 December 2004, launching EUFOR Operation Althea,

E.  Whereas Bosnia and Herzegovina has made significant progress in cooperation with the ICTY, but still needs to achieve full cooperation,

F.  Whereas political leaders and parties reached an agreement in October 2005 on reform of police structures, enabling the start of negotiations on the stabilisation and association agreement with the European Union,

G.  Whereas, on 21 November 2005, the Council adopted the draft negotiating directives and authorised the Commission to open negotiations for a stabilisation and association agreement with Bosnia and Herzegovina; whereas negotiations were officially opened in Sarajevo on 25 November to build closer ties with the European Union, and whereas this is considered to be a major step towards eventual membership of the Union,

H.  Whereas Bosnia and Herzegovina has made considerable progress in adopting and implementing reforms, but its central institutions and its complex constitutional structures often lead to blockages and inefficiency in decision-making; whereas the negotiations on constitutional reform led by the US and the EU ended recently without achieving a final agreement,

I.  Whereas the Council has appointed Christian Schwarz-Schilling to replace Paddy Ashdown as EU Special Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, and whereas Mr Schwarz-Schilling took up his duties on 30 January 2006,

J.  Whereas the Austrian Presidency has made the western Balkan region one of its priorities and is planning to hold a substantial discussion on the western Balkans during the informal meeting of foreign ministers on 10 and 11 March 2006 in Salzburg,

1.  Welcomes the opening of negotiations on a stabilisation and association agreement and stresses that the pace of negotiations depends on the ability of the country’s three main communities – Bosniaks, Serbs and Croats – to agree on the schedule of reforms, and on the country’s ability to implement them;

2.  Regrets that the representatives of the leading political parties (assisted by the US and the EU) during the recent debate on constitutional changes did not reach an agreement to ensure the effective functioning of the country’s central institutions; appeals to political leaders and parties in Bosnia and Herzegovina to continue this process in a dynamic fashion and with local ownership; calls on the Council and the Commission to involve themselves more actively in the common reflection on constitutional reforms by supporting the country’s political forces and citizens in their search for a consensus;

3.  While recognising that the collective rights of the ethnic communities must be respected, expects that the reform of the Constitution will strengthen both the multiethnic character of the country and individual citizens’ rights with the aim of reducing ethnic polarisation in Bosnia and Herzegovina;

4.  Expresses its full support for the valuable and difficult work of the ICTY and reiterates that Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Republika Srpska in particular, should meet their obligations to cooperate fully with the ICTY at all times; emphasises that full and unrestricted cooperation with the ICTY is non-negotiable and constitutes one of the most essential requirements for a smooth and accelerating process towards eventual integration into the EU; therefore calls on the Commission and the Council to suspend negotiations in the event of a serious breach of the EU’s fundamental principles, in particular in the event of a country’s failure to fully cooperate with the ICTY;

5.  Appreciates the work done by the European Union Military Mission (EUFOR) and the EU Police Mission, which have become key partners in support of the EU’s political objectives;

6.  Reaffirms its support for the European perspective of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which will become an integral part of the EU once it meets the established criteria; stresses nevertheless that the Treaty of Nice is not a viable basis for the continuation of the European integration process; consequently, points out that the European Union will have to have done its own homework and have made real progress with the reform of its own organisation and institutions before any further states can become members beyond the existing 25 and the 2 already agreed upon;

7.  Recognises the important role of the new EU Special Representative; takes the opinion, however, that his main task should be to support the efforts promoting greater ownership and to contribute to making Bosnia and Herzegovina a self-sustaining state capable of assuming full responsibility in the foreseeable future and functioning without the intervention of the international community;

8.  Notes that GDP has risen significantly over the last few years and that steps have also been taken to improve the business climate while inflation remained low; expresses, however, its deep concern about the high level of unemployment (more than 40%) in particular among returned refugees and displaced persons, the continuing unsustainability of the country’s economy and the large trade and current-account deficits;

9.  Welcomes, therefore, the fact that the new EU Special Representative has made tackling economic and social challenges one of his priorities; calls on the authorities to take all necessary measures to boost the country’s economic efficiency and competitiveness and reduce unemployment through, inter alia, scaling down overly expensive administrative structures, driving forward the privatisation of large state-owned companies, implementing the European Charter for SMEs, fostering entrepreneurship talent at local level and ensuring the creation of new jobs and further social cohesion, which should also contribute to reducing the alarming exodus of young people;

10.  Stresses that the forthcoming parliamentary elections scheduled for October 2006 will be crucial for the future of Bosnia and Herzegovina and its path towards European integration; calls on all political leaders, parties and authorities to prepare and adopt the necessary reforms and take all measures to guarantee smooth, fair, free and democratic elections;

11.  Notes that legislation supporting the return of refugees has been adopted and significant progress has been made regarding the return of refugees and displaced persons; points out, however, that their full economic and social integration has still to be fully implemented; calls on the Commission to intensify its support and calls on the Bosnia and Herzegovina government and authorities to take measures to tackle the extremely high level of unemployment among returned refugees and displaced persons; takes the view that, in order to reach international standards in the area of human and minority rights, further measures are necessary, which avoid the division of schools along ethnic lines and improve the integration of the Roma minority, especially regarding property rights and access to personal documents;

12.  Welcomes the police, defence, VAT and public broadcasting reforms; emphasises the need for a comprehensive action plan for public administration reform that is able to increase the capacity for the implementation of reforms; calls for the preparation and implementation of an adequate anti-corruption action plan, and the rapid implementation of VAT law and police reform;

13.  Recalls the importance the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina attach to the perspective of the liberalisation of the visa regime; takes note of the Commission’s plan to present in spring 2006 proposals aiming at simplifying and speeding up visa-issuing procedures at local consulates and implementing measures taken to promote exchanges of students and researchers; stresses, nevertheless, that much more has to be done to ease visa-issuing procedures;

14.  Notes that Bosnia and Herzegovina has made progress in promoting regional cooperation in some important areas such as transport and energy (i.e. the South-East Europe Energy Community Treaty); takes the view that further regional cooperation is necessary, including in the areas of fighting organised crime, facilitating refugee returns, establishing a free trade area capable of attracting foreign investment, and developing integrated trans-border networks;

15.  Repeats its regrets concerning the US decision, which came into force in June 2003, granting US citizens in Bosnia immunity from prosecution by the International Criminal Court in The Hague, following ratification by Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Parliament;

16.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Member States, and the Government and Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

• [1]  Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2005)0131
• [2]  Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2004)0059
• [3]  Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2005)0296