EU Presidency Statement - The Situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Mr. President,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union. The acceding countries Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia, the candidate countries Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey and the EFTA countries Iceland, Lichtenstein and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, declare that they align themselves with this statement.

Mr. President,

As this is the first time I have taken the floor under your Presidency of the Security Council, please allow me to congratulate you on the assumption of your duties. I would also like to extend my congratulations to the previous President, Ambassador Wang Guangya of China, for the excellent manner in which he steered the Council's deliberations in February.

Mr. President,

I would firstly like to thank Lord Ashdown for his comprehensive and informative report. The work of the High Representative, and his Office, is of great importance to the full implementation of the Dayton Agreement and the consolidation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The European Union underscores its support for High Representative Ashdown, who is also the EU's Special Representative to Bosnia and Herzegovina, in particular his focus on promoting the rule of law and encouraging economic growth and the creation of employment through reforms.

The EU-Western Balkans summit in Thessaloniki last June confirmed clearly that the shared objective of the EU and the countries of the region is their integration into European structures. This will be achieved through the implementation of the strengthened Stabilisation and Association Process. The rate at which the countries of the region make further progress towards the EU is effectively now in their own hands. It will depend on their individual performance in implementing reforms, with the full support of the EU.

The EU has been actively involved in the reform process. In November 2003, the European Commission presented its Feasibility Study on the preparedness of Bosnia and Herzegovina to negotiate a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA). The EU calls on the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina to strengthen their efforts towards meeting sixteen wide-ranging priorities - including improving governance and administration, cooperation with ICTY, strengthening the fight against organised crime and corruption, improvements in the rule of law, human rights reform and economic reforms - which the feasibility study identified as being essential for making any decision on the opening of SAA negotiations. The Commission hopes that it can make a recommendation on the opening of negotiations in the latter half of 2004.

The EU is already assisting with these reforms, including through targeted support under the CARDS assistance programme. The European Partnership with Bosnia and Herzegovina will see the government of Bosnia and Herzegovina agree with the European Union on overall priorities for action. This Partnership is being elaborated by the European Commission in the context of the sixteen reforms identified in its Feasibility Study. The European Council has also decided that one of the four initial priorities for the European Security Strategy is the elaboration of a comprehensive and coherent policy for Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Mr. President,

There has been important progress in Bosnia and Herzegovina in such areas as the reform of the judiciary and defence. However, the pace of reform has slowed. Much remains to be done to reinvigorate the economy and consolidate the central structures of the state. This responsibility lies in the hands of the local authorities, who need to fully engage in the reform process. Their cooperation with the international community is also essential. The EU fully supports the recent decision by Lord Ashdown to enact a new statute for the City of Mostar.

The EU strongly supports the clear message set out in Security Council Resolution 1503, which expresses the need for the countries in the region to improve and intensify their cooperation with the ICTY. Full cooperation with the Tribunal, especially improved cooperation in arresting and transferring indictees to The Hague, is vital for further movement towards the EU, as is compliance with the Tribunal's requests for documents, access to archives and availability of witnesses. We reiterate the need to intensify efforts to bring Karadzic, Mladic and Gotovina to the ICTY.

The EU supports the ongoing work of High Representative Ashdown to establish a special chamber on war crimes within the state court of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This is an important step in the building of institutions of justice in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It will contribute to the significant progress being made in Bosnia and Herzegovina towards the creation of a society based on the rule of law and respect for human rights.

Mr. President,

The EU is closely involved in ensuring security in Bosnia and Herzegovina through the EU Police Mission. I would like to take this opportunity to express our profound sadness at the recent and untimely death of the Head of the EUPM in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Commissioner Sven Frederiksen. We offer our full support to his successor, Commissioner Kevin Carty, as he takes up the challenging tasks that lie ahead of him. It is important also to make progress in resolving the legal problems arising from the police certification procedure, and we look forward to a renewed cooperative effort with the UN toward addressing this matter.

The EU has confirmed also its readiness to undertake a follow-on mission to SFOR, within the context of European integration and a comprehensive and coherent approach to Bosnia and Herzegovina. In this regard, we have put in hand preparatory work in close consultation with NATO, while keeping the Bosnia and Herzegovina authorities fully involved.

Thank you, Mr. President.

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