Bosnia and Herzegovina will forfeit more than €100 million from EU funds after once again missing deadlines to prepare a reform plan, which was set as a condition for participation in the so-called Growth Plan for the Western Balkans. According to local media, this information comes from sources within the European Commission and was officially confirmed in a letter sent on 17 July to the Chairwoman of the BiH Council of Ministers, Borjana Krišto.
Although Krišto has not commented publicly, Foreign Minister Elmedin Konaković, currently on a working visit to Washington, stated that this development did not come as a surprise, as warnings from Brussels had been issued earlier - including those indicating that BiH could be completely excluded from European development projects.
Konaković: "We are wounded, but not excluded"
For now, Bosnia and Herzegovina has had its first aid tranche of €108.5 million suspended. This amount was intended as initial support for implementing economic reforms.
The sum represents around 10 percent of the €1 billion BiH could potentially receive under the Growth Plan.
The total fund allocated for the Western Balkan countries amounts to €6 billion and aims to accelerate the region’s integration into the European market through enhanced economic cooperation and reforms.
"We are wounded, but not completely excluded. This will certainly impact our economy. Perhaps this is our final warning to do what is expected of us," said Konaković.
Reforms blocked, new deadline expires on 30 September
The European Commission justified the suspension by stating that BiH authorities have still not adopted the final reform plan, as this requires agreement across all levels of government – a task made extremely difficult by the country’s complex political-administrative system.
Last year, four cantons in the Federation of BiH, governed by the Party of Democratic Action (SDA), which is in opposition at both entity and state levels, blocked the initial draft of the plan.
They demanded that authorities in the Republic of Srpska fulfil their obligations, including the appointment of Serb judges to the Constitutional Court of BiH – something Banja Luka firmly refuses to do.
In July, the Council of Ministers submitted a revised draft reform plan to Brussels, but its adoption is still incomplete, despite setting a 45-day deadline for the process.
European Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, once again called on BiH institutions to submit the final version of the document without further delay, so that the European Commission can review and possibly approve it. If this does not happen by 30 September, BiH risks losing another 10 percent of potential funding.
(EUpravo zato/iIndex)
