Oslobođenje: The governments of BiH can in the next month expect from Brussels barely a positive grade of the progress of our country towards the European Union, claims the chairman of the Commission for European Integrations of the Parliament of BiH, Halid Genjac. The European Commission will, as it has been announced, within recording the progress of BiH, critically review the priorities and questions which should be solved, and whose implementation has stopped.
Contestation of competencies
“It has come to a general stagnation of the progress of BiH on the way towards the EU and this is totally opposite to euphoria which we had when the SAA was signed. The Action plan of the Partnership for BiH is seriously late, because the RS has opened as much as 25 questions. It is all generally about contradicting the competencies of the entities and the state”, has been said by Genjac, who also added that the urgent meeting of political leaders is necessary. At that meeting, de-blockading the adoption of the priority decisions which are the condition for progress of BiH on the way towards the EU should be agreed.
Among the questions are those related to the adoption of the Law on supervision of banks, obligations, state’s assistance, nominating ombudsmen, exploring solutions on the population census, and the agreement on constitution changes.
On fulfilling the obligations depends when BiH will receive a status of the candidate for entering the EU. However, the Council for the SAA implementation will give a grade of the progress of BiH and realization of the Agreement on the field.
“BiH could during 2010 receive the status of candidate for the EU. There are no obstacles for us to ask for that status earlier, but we need to achieve the progress. However, the stage of getting closer to the EU depends on political circumstances. We now have a dissatisfactory situation. But if we send the positive political signals, perhaps we could have some chances to quicken that path. In contrast, it will be very hard”, Genjac has said.
Ratification of the SAA
The Parliament of BiH could this week agree on ratification of the SAA. However, in order for the SAA to function in its full capacity, it needs to be ratified by all 27 countries members of the EU.
“It is good that we have put a question of ratification on our agenda, because that process lasts a year and a half up to two years, regarding the fact that the agreement should be given by all the members of the EU. By then, the Interim agreement will inure”, Genjac said.
The Interim agreement, which has inured on July 1st, ensures a free trade of commodity and services in BiH from our country into the EU. Besides that, it ensures the liberalization of regulations in the areas of registration of the companies, competition, employment, and regulates the question of the transit traffic.
Reduction of customs
The Interim agreement with the EU in the upcoming months will contribute to further droop of customs on the import of commodity of BiH. Right after its inurnment, the customs on import of the vehicles have been reduced by 50%, and from January 1st 2009, they will be totally abolished.
“The customs recording of 1% has been abolished, and the customs for certain groups of products have been totally abolished or reduced. For some commodity, they will systematically be reduced between ten to 20% each year, so in the next period they will be totally abolished”, Halid Genjac pointed out.