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SARAJEVO, April 17 (FENA) - Head of EU Delegation to BiH and EU Special Representative Ambassador Lars-Gunnar Wigemark today, after the European Commission announced its annual Enlargement Package, pointed out that BiH had not made any progress in the area of rule of law and basic rights, public administration reform and freedom of expression.
Observing the European Commission's Progress Report on the Potential EU Member States, he noted that an Interim Report on BiH was prepared in the transitional period between the last report and the preparation of the opinion of the European Commission.
As he said, this transitional report analyzes only some areas but does not cover any of the responses to the European Commission Questionnaire delivered in February.
Mr. Wigemark warned that there had been a certain regression when it comes to basic rights and the rule of law, which concerns discussions at the BiH Parliamentary Assembly (BiH PA) regarding the Criminal Procedure Law.
In addition, he also said that the BiH PA House of Representatives should consider the proposals in the procedure, which come from different sources.
"It is no secret that there are conflicts between different interests," Mr. Wigemark said.
As for the economy and economic development, he noted that some progress had been made, especially in terms of competitiveness. However, he added that the "weak" rule of law is linked to the investors’ hesitation to invest in BiH and that another obstacle is the public administration.
Among other things, he also stressed that the European Commission and the EU consider that an adequate fight against organized crime is one of the international standards.
Recalling the reports from 18 months ago, he noted that regression back then had only been recorded in the media field, adding that the situation in this regard has now deteriorated and that there has been no progress in the freedom of expression.
AS for public administration reform, he said no progress was noted.
“If we are talking about public administration reform, we are talking about the reform of bureaucracy, which is the largest in the region. Such administration may prevent citizens from enjoying adequate services for which they pay taxes,” Mr. Wigemark warned.
He explained that progress in the field of economy was related to the financial sector and certain improvements in the business environment.
He also pointed to insufficient investment in education and research, which slows down economic development.
Mr. Wigemark specifically addressed the problem of intimidating journalists in BiH, pointing out that there is still political pressure in that context.
He stressed that elements of self-censorship were still present, while the public broadcasters are politicized.
“This is unacceptable to us in the EU," said the Head of the EU Delegation, adding that there is also a problem with the financing of the public broadcasters.
Mr. Wigemark will tomorrow submit the Progress Report on BiH to the representatives of BiH authorities. He noted that a more detailed analytical report has still not been agreed upon but will be published later.
(FENA)
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