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SARAJEVO, 11 February (FENA) - Proposal of Decision on special protective measures on imports of certain products originating from the European Union submitted by the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of Bosnia and Herzegovina for adoption by the Council of Ministers of BiH, did not go through the prescribed procedure that precedes the consideration of the material at the session, nor was the urgency of the adoption explained.
In her explanation, which she stated she was obliged to offer to BiH farmers and citizens, BiH Foreign Minister Bisera Turković recalled that, given the different public interpretations related to the session of the Council of Ministers, she did not vote for such a decision.
The statement says that the Proposal of the Decision did not pass the procedure prescribed by the relevant provisions of the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA), which is a procedural violation of that agreement.
"Bosnia and Herzegovina, as a contracting party to the SAA, has the right to take measures prescribed by the provisions of the agreement and/or domestic regulations in the situations provided for that purpose. Undertaking any "defense trade measure", in accordance with the rules and principles of the World Trade Organization (WTO) on which the SAA is based, always implies initiating or conducting consultations with the other party," she explained.
The Minister stated that in the case of the proposal of the decision for the introduction of customs duties for certain products originating from the EU, no consultations were held with the European Union, and consultations were not initiated even after the proposal for making a decision became public and the first reactions from the EU arrived.
Minister Turković clarifies that Article 30 of the SAA, to which the Proposal for a Decision refers, provides for the possibility of introducing a measure in the event of a serious market disturbance or domestic regulatory mechanisms, under certain conditions.
The further explanation of the proposed decision states that the "analysis of foreign trade business" showed an increase in meat imports in BiH, and that 80 percent of these products are imported from EU member states, which caused reduced consumption of fresh domestic meat, reduced purchase prices and market disruption.
“The document, however, does not state any data from which it would be possible to determine the situation on the BiH market or the disturbance that occurred due to the pandemic and imports, as it is claimed,” said Turković.
She reminds that the European Union is a key foreign trade, economic and political partner of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which to date has in various ways encouraged and assisted the reform processes in BiH, including agriculture.
Such measures can range from suspending the Autonomous Trade Measures (ATM) system for goods originating in BiH, suspending technical assistance to blocking financial assistance funds.
Minister Turković says that this is evidenced by the latest example of Ukraine, which was first blocked by aid of 600 million euros due to the ban on wood exports under the agreement with the EU, and later an arbitration procedure was conducted in which Ukraine was declared responsible for the introduced measure.
(FENA) A. B.
