EU, US Warned about 'Deteriorating' Bosnia

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, enlargement commissioner Johannes Hahn, the European Union Foreign Affairs Council and US Secretary of State, John Kerry were urged in an open letter signed by the prominent academics and political analysts on Thursday to take action to ensure progress in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

"Twenty years after the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement [that ended the war in 1995], the political, economic and social situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina has been steadily deteriorating," the letter said.

It criticized the US and EU's current role in the country, saying they "have gradually abandoned their legal and moral obligation to uphold the 1995 Dayton Agreement".

It also claimed that the US and EU have shown "a declining interest" in the role of the High Representative, the senior international official in the country, and in the EU peacekeeping force, which it said are "the key mechanisms for ensuring the agreement's civilian and military implementation".

The academics and political analysts said they wanted to "appeal to the EU and the US to strengthen their commitment to the European future of BiH [Bosnia and Herzegovina], to adopt a firm approach toward spoilers of the reform process and to jointly use their leverage potential in a coordinated manner".

They signalled three key priorities for international engagement.

"Firstly, it must be recognised that the step-by-step approach to reforms is not working and needs to be replaced by a firmer one. Secondly, there needs to be an increased commitment to the implementation of the rule of law", especially regarding "the corrupt and inefficient justice sector", they said. "Citizens of BiH must be placed at the centre of all...