REPUBLIKA SRPSKA COMMITTED TO THE EU PATH

BANJA LUKA, MAY 5 /SRNA/ - Republika Srpska remains committed to BiH's path to EU membership and this commitment is best evidenced by the fact that Srpska is the only level of government in BiH that has, since 2009, systematically aligned its legislation with the EU's legal framework, according to the Republika Srpska's 33rd Report to the UN Security Council.

"BiH's EU integration, unfortunately, is blocked by the continued presence of an international overlord who rules by edict, a presence that the EU has acknowledged is incompatible with BiH's sovereignty, and thus its road to EU membership," reads Part Six of the Report.

The document reads that in its Opinion on BiH's application for EU membership, the EU recognized that the continued operation of the High Representative with sweeping autocratic powers hinders BiH’s progress toward EU integration.

"Regarding the High Representatives, the EU Opinion said: `Such extensive international supervision is in principle incompatible with the sovereignty of BiH and therefore with EU membership,`" reads the Report the Republika Srpska Government sent to the UN Security Council.

The Report reads that former High Representatives have made it clear that the continued existence of the OHR undermines BiH's EU progress.

"Former High Representative Wolfgang Petritsch said regarding the OHR, `It's not going to work, and you cannot enter the European Union with such an overlord who will take these decisions,`" reads the Report.

The document cites Mr. Petritsch as saying, "Every decision Mr. Schmidt makes brings BiH farther away - pushes it away from the European Union," as well as that, "Unless all of the external interventions stop, there is not going to be a European future for BiH."

"Similarly, former High Representative Carl Bildt has written, `The continued existence of the OHR as the custodian of the push of Dayton has often tended to dilute the impact of the EU efforts.` He noted that the OHR `has gone from being part of the solution to part of the problem,`" reads the Report.

It says that BiH's EU integration is also blocked by the Bosniak political parties' obstruction of a reform to replace the foreign judges on the BiH Constitutional Court with BiH citizens, a reform the EU has included among the 14 key priorities for BiH.

"BiH's main Serb and Croat parties strongly favor replacing the Constitutional Court’s foreign judges with BiH citizens and have introduced legislation to do so, but Bosniak parties have refused to consider the legislation, thus standing in the way of BiH's full sovereignty and its progress toward EU membership," reads the Report.

Republika Srpska officials pointed out that BiH’s EU integration, moreover, is being undermined by the Bosniak SDA party, which is obstructing BiH's adoption of the Reform Agenda required to disburse funds under the EU Growth Plan for the Western Balkans.

The document adds that the BiH level, both Entities, and six of the ten cantons of the Federation of BiH have agreed to the Reform Agenda, but the four cantons under the SDA control are blocking it.

"Republika Srpska will continue to advocate for BiH's progress toward EU membership while respecting BiH’s Dayton structure," says Part Six of the Report sent to the UN Security Council.