Address by Adnan TERZIC
Chairperson of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina
on the occasion of the third part of the 2005 Ordinary Session
of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly

(Strasbourg, 20-24 June 2005)

 21/06 2005

Mister President,

Members of the Parliament, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a great honor for me to be able to attend your June session. Please allow me to thank you first for giving me this opportunity to address you on behalf of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Mr. President,

The activities of the CoE and the efforts of its members invested over half of century already, have now brought us to the point where we are closer than ever to a true European community, based democracy, human rights and the rule of law. The fact that we are close, and moving even closer to achieving of this goal with each new day, is certainly encouraging, but also obliging, both for the institutions of the CoE, and for each of the member countries individually. What is encouraging is that the message is clear: the entire European continent is committed to democracy instead to dictatorship, human rights instead of discrimination, rule of law instead of autocracy, and cooperation instead of isolation. On the other hand, our obligation is to cease to tolerate “black holes” on our continent, as their bare existence, regardless of their isolated nature, holds huge destabilizing power. The region from which I come from used to be a black hole in Europe. It is my great pleasure to say here that, thanks to many, including the institutions of the CoE, this is no longer the case.

I am aware that you are all familiar with the facts that are now but a chapter in “The history of 20th century Europe”. However, I cannot and will not omit the fact that only 10 years ago, in 1995, the situation in BiH was completely different. What happened 10 years back in BiH can be sublimed in two words only, two words for two cities: Srebrenica and Dayton. Over 8000 murdered, children and men, is the horrible truth of the crime that took place 50 years after the fighters for free Europe have dismissed Auschwitz and said “never again”. Today, as we face the Memorial Gathering on the 10th anniversary of Srebrenica genocide, Europe and the world are again in a position to utter a decisive “never again” parole directed to all crimes against humanity. I would like to believe that this vow shall be the last one the world will have to make.

The peace agreement drafted in Dayton and signed in Paris, usually quoted for its complicated and non-functional solutions, has stopped the war and enabled freedom of movement. It was a new beginning for the state of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Over the past 10 years, this agreement never lacked neither criticism nor praising, especially on part of those who never wanted it in the first place, and who were never too eager to implement it. But this agreement could offer a light on the end of the tunnel. Obvious limitations imposed by the Dayton framework could and should be removed thru introducing of generally accepted European standards, prescribed by the CoE, and applied by the EU.

Only the European reforming agenda can be the light at the end of the tunnel, the drive of reforms, and the contribution to the political environment that is oriented towards relieving of ethnic tensions and fears. Such a reforming process, apart from the decisiveness on our (BH) side, also requires an impartial and positive attitude on part of the IC. Just as you expect from Bosnian authorities to compellingly lead the way in the process of adoption of European standards, so do we expect from European leadership to avoid having second thoughts about future enlargements, after the double “no” to the European constitution. This new development should be treated as just another impetus for us to build our unity even stronger and to make our mutual understanding even more obvious.

Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen,

We in Bosnia-Herzegovina have done more over the past 3 years in terms of reintegration and state-building than others have over the first 7 after the war. In April this year, BiH celebrated its 3rd anniversary under the auspices of this oldest of European institutions. This is to say that there is a clear correlation between the acquiring of full membership in the CoE and the fulfillment of obligations that follow. There is a correlation between encouragements and obligations on one side, and the reforming tidal wave on the other.

By becoming a member to the CoE, BiH agreed to fulfill 73 obligations and was given the first “blue print” for the implementation of reforms. The obligations from the 1st year have been completed in full and in time, 21 obligations are finalized, another 15 are running according to the agreed timeframes, and 37 of them are processes that need continuous activity. This 3rd year of our membership was the hardest one. We were completing the tasks from years 1 and 2, and we adjusted our whole agenda to the requirements of the 3rd year.

What I want to especially draw your attention to is the fact that we never lacked political will to fulfill the obligations, and that delays in certain fields are due to lack of finance and qualified personnel. All political forces in BiH remain completely unanimous in one thing: the membership in the CoE is the best choice for our country, on our way to achieve full and true democracy, actual embracing of standards and norms of the rule of law and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. The main priority of the Council of Ministers I chair is the continuous adjusting and harmonizing of the entire domestic legislation with the European conventions, and especially with the European Charter on Protection of Human Rights. Today, political figures from all nations and all political options in the country are unanimous: the only way to have a stable BiH is to integrate into the big European family. BiH has now moved from Dayton towards Brussels, thanks to Strasbourg. These are not mere decisions of a few politicians, these are the attitude of the general public. According to surveys, 80% of the BiH population supports the idea of EU future.

The European BiH which I stand for, will have a single economic space, Schengen-like borders, independent judiciary, efficient police, internationally recognized education system, credible health- and social care system, professional media, and before all, functional democratic institutions that guarantee full equality and equal starting point for all.

Mr. President,

What have we achieved since we are members of CoE, during this short but intense period of time? Let me start with 2002 elections: BiH proved that it can organize and hold efficient general elections, according to highest international standards. A new feature on local elections was the possibility to vote for mayors directly, which strengthened local self-governing. The key feature of so far implemented reforms is that they were achieved thru political agreement, and not by means of international pressure or imposing on part of the High Representative. The Entities have agreed to transfer their powers to the State. The establishing of a single economic space is the most important feature for the benefit of citizens, alongside with merging of two customs departments into one, the initiative of entity governments to adopt a single sales tax on the state level (as this used to be under the jurisdiction of entities). Equally important is the merging of entity intelligence services into one state-level agency, which is now operating for the first time under strict parliamentary supervision. Furthermore, the establishing and functioning of the state-level Ministry of Defense was the key step in meeting the preconditions for PfP. The whole series of institutions and bodies in the field of phyto-sanitary protection were shifted up to state level as well. We are in the final phase of preparations for the introduction of fixed-rate VAT, aiming to improve the business environment required in terms of foreign investments. Over the past 2 years, we mark continuous growth of FDI, and as yet another illustration of our economic success, I wish to tell you that during the year of 2004, our GDP growth was 6%, which sets the record in the region. Thru judicial reform, we established the State Prosecutor’s Office and the Court of BiH, as well as the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council which is in charge of introducing the rule of law according to the best of European standards and practices. BiH is the first country in the region to meet the international standards for processing of war crimes. The State Council is expected to operate according to best practices and under best technical conditions.

Our reform in the sector of electric power enabled one of the most important regional projects to come true: the creating of Energy Community of SEE (ECSEE). This was the first ever official connecting of our region to the EU, and it will impact stable economic growth in the region, as well as the adjusting of the entire regional energetic sector to that of EU. The signing ceremony for this project will be held in London shortly.

The 16 conditions from the Feasibility Study are implemented almost in full, and under tight schedule with shortened deadlines which we set ourselves. There are two things standing in the way of BiH in terms of launching the SAA negotiations: police reforms and the Law on Public Broadcasting Service. There is still chance for these two to be completed in time, and we must do everything possible not to lose this chance.

I would also like to bring to your attention the significant change in the form of international military presence in BiH. The arrival of EUFOR and the beginning of EU-led Althea Mission send out a clear message by their slogan which reads: “from stabilization towards integration”. I believe that there is a wide-spread international understanding of the fact that Althea Mission is not there to establish or keep the peace. The current intl. military presence in BiH is a message to the entire region, that is not yet fully organized according to NATO standards. I would like to use this opportunity to thank all the countries whose troops were part of SFOR, as well as those whose troops will either come or stay in BiH as EUFOR.

Another subject I want to mention here is the recent opinion of the Venice Commission on the constitutional conditions and the authorities of the High Representative. Since the end of March, when it was published, this opinion is mandatory and the most frequently read document in the political life of Bosnia-Herzegovina. This points to the credibility, properness and timeliness of publishing of the said opinion. With this in mind, I would like to thank the Parliamentary Assembly for passing Resolution #1384 on strengthening of democratic institutions of BiH, back in 2004. In this resolution, you requested from the Venice Commission to come out with an opinion. As this is a convenient time for all segments of society to take part in commenting the Opinion, we would welcome once again the knowledge and the experience of the CoE in organizing of debates, seminars and workshops, even conferences, on items that are vital to the success of reforms and the transformation of BiH society.

The encouragement and the support to the integration processes in Bosnia-Herzegovina is a clear message to the rest of the region that democratization pays, that embracing of European standards is in itself a valuable progress and to the benefit of citizens. It is also a way to be recognized in regional and international terms, and it is a path towards European future. Bosnia-Herzegovina especially welcomes the fact that Warsaw declaration underlines the commitment of CoE to establishing of a creative community, open to knowledge and different cultures, a civil community based on respect for human rights, democracy and the rule of law. These are long-term goals of BiH, both on domestic and EU level.

Achieving of these goals, as envisaged in the Action Plan, require full engagement of all CoE institutions, individual member states, and inter-state and inter-institutional cooperation with organizations that promote core European values and interests, such as EU and OSCE. The examples of reforming activities in BiH stand witness to the efficiency and necessity of having these 3 act together (CoE, EU, OSCE).

Mr. President, members of the Parliament, your Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, I thank you once again for giving me this opportunity to address you, and thank you for your attention. It will be my pleasure to answer your questions now.