EU takes BiH to task for Sejdic-Finci failure

EU takes BiH to task for Sejdic-Finci failure

Some politicians said the October elections are the key to implementing the verdict.

The BiH presidency building stands in Sarajevo. The top government posts are earmarked for the country's three majority ethnicities, which is discriminatory, according to a 2009 European Court of Human Rights ruling. [AFP]

EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule said politicians in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) must become more responsive to citizens, including their demands for jobs and efficient justice, and took politicians to task for their failure to implement a 2009 human rights verdict from the European Court of Human Rights.

Coming in the wake of citizen protests throughout the country over the weak economy and high unemployment, Fule met with BiH leaders and citizens who are working in plenums in Tuzla and Sarajevo.

"I call on the politicians of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) not to ignore the voices of the citizens. There is an important space for citizens' engagement -- they should be listened to -- they should engage -- they should be able to do so free from fear of violence, harassment, or intimidation. Indeed there should be no violence from any side -- it is completely unacceptable," Fule said in a statement.

Fule also called it "deeply disappointing" that party leaders have been unwilling to implement the European Court of Human Rights judgement in the Sejdic-Finci case.

"Bosnia and Herzegovina will remain, at least for the time being, in breach of its international commitments. It is a shame for politicians, through inaction, to fail, because the rest of the region is moving forward toward the European Union, and because citizens are calling politicians to be...