Allow me, at the beginning, to express my gratitude to organizers of this regional conference, first of all European Movement in BiH, and other organizers and participants of today’s meeting. I am grateful to have opportunity to express my view on the current and long-term possibilities of accession of BiH and the Western Balkans countries to Euro Atlantic integration.

Today’s conference proves that there is a highly expressed awareness about importance and necessity of BiH accession to Euro Atlantic structures among all walks of life in BiH, from representatives of state and entity authorities and local communities, to entrepreneurs, NGO, civil society, media, religious communities and citizens.

The fact that there is European Movement in BiH promoting the idea and values of united Europe contributes to raising awareness about EU integration. Other associations and citizen organizations are also important, because they work everyday in order to bring BiH closer to EU, putting the idea into practice. It was for that reason that I decided to sponsor such an important conference and other activities that European Movement in BiH is planning to undertake during the year 2009. 

I am convinced that EU had justifiable reasons to announce 2009 as ‘the Year of the Balkans’. Apart from common symbolic, there is more to it than meets the eye: there is deliberate intention to steer the Western Balkans countries in the direction of EU during this and following years. This year is, to a certain extent, crucial for BiH and other Western Balkans countries to shed the heavy load of long-standing isolation from European processes and take decisive steps towards European integration path.

These circumstances call for a short review of the position of the Balkans as compared to Europe, in the past and now, which can be useful in understanding of our ambitions in the future.

The relation between Europe and the Balkans was defined in the past between the two extremes: systematic negligence and violent interventions in the internal relations in the Balkans. Both approaches proved to be wrong in the long term. In practice, as regards political life, such approach was more detrimental than useful to peoples and countries of the Balkans.

The history of the region of the Western Balkans is fraught with wrong and reckless interventions by great forces and lack of understanding of objective political processes in this part of the world, which entailed wrong solutions which failed to bring stability, democracy and economic progress. The Balkans, as geopolitical region, has been unfairly and wrongly perceived in a negative way, as a region prone to permanent and insoluble conflicts and crises. The stereotype lingered for quite some time, and it is still dominant in the mindset of an average European. It was the reason for systematic negligence and isolation of the region from the rest of the Europe, which brought about enormous damage to the process of prompt integration of the region in political, economic and cultural life of Europe. The complexity and importance of the Balkans as a strategic region connecting West and Central Europe with the Mediterranean and Near East was disregarded.   

Viewed from today’s perspective, we can say that responsibility for such a state in the Balkans rests first of all with political elite of their countries, but also with great forces and international community. The current political situation in BiH and other Balkan countries is part of broader political context of outstanding issues which originate from the area of the so-called ‘East Issue’, annexing of BiH by Austria-Hungary, Balkan wars, World War I, creation of Yugoslavia and finally, its disintegration during the last decade of the twentieth century. In the last 150 years, the region of Balkans saw world war, Balkan wars and several local wars. The region of BiH and the Balkans was the scene of conflict and collapse of great empires, and all these conflicts affected the political situation in those countries.

Following majority of wars led from 1991 to 2001, the region of Western Balkans enjoys a peaceful period, which is obviously the most important thing. War conflicts resulted in a high death toll, a vast number of wounded and refugees, and almost complete destruction of economy. With intervention by international community, several peace agreements were made in the Western Balkans- which definitely brought an end to war, establishing peace and stability in the region. 

I would like to highlight at this point the importance of peace agreements made after the ending of conflict in this region. Some of them, like Dayton/Paris peace agreement for BiH, not only ended hostilities, but they also defined political solution.

Dayton Peace Agreement from 1995 was a highlight of the political and diplomatic invention of peacemakers and home politicians, and it is one of the greatest success stories of peacemaking in the history.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Europe has confirmed clearly that its strategic interest was integration of the region of the Western Balkans in European political, economic and security structures. The Western Balkans countries, on their part, clearly voiced their firm commitment to Euro Atlantic structures.  

There is a high percentage of citizens and political parties in BiH that opt for EU accession. Wide acknowledgement of BiH as a country which belongs to Europe in all terms: historical, geographic, political, and cultural- contributes to the high percentage, regardless of the fact that it is not formally an EU member. Last year, BiH signed SAA, which is the first contractual relation between BiH and EU in the process of EU integration.

It is an important and incentive step for the country on its path to full EU membership. Also, in the same year, the relation between BiH and NATO Alliance was raised to the level of intensive dialogue, which is a step forward towards full membership. In that respect, we cannot be dissatisfied with the results achieved at the level of Euro Atlantic integration of the country. However, in the last months the country faced a temporary standstill regarding this issue. Political differences between BiH parties contributed to the standstill.

Long-term strategic stabilization of the Western Balkans will start with final solutions to the outstanding issues which are stumbling block between certain countries in the region. These issues include: questionable independence of Kosovo and Metohija, adjudication of FYROM, dispute between Slovenia and Croatia over the mainland border, efforts to undermine Dayton Peace Accords, which is the cornerstone of stability of BiH as democratic, decentralized and complex state with two entities and three equal peoples.

In the last few years, the Western Balkans has experienced ‘the shock of Europesation’, the process which strikes one as a fever which spreads through society and changes our previous habits and relations completely. It is more than obvious today, and experience of other countries proves it, that EU integration process is  an all-encompassing, comprehensive venture and effort of the whole society, not only an exclusive responsibility of state institutions. When a country becomes EU member, it is not its government, or part of society that becomes the member, it is the country as a whole, as a result of joint effort to achieve the set goal,. On that path, apart from state institutions, legislative and executive authorities, everyone is in invited and welcome, from companies that make effort to reach European standards and results, to civil society which strives to embed the spirit of European integration into its daily performance and communication with citizens. 

There are shared responsibilities, on this path, including our society, and also between BiH and EU as institutional and political framework that the country is attempting to join. Our responsibility is to fulfill all the conditions and aims we obliged to do, and EU’s responsibility is to accept the results and provide necessary support for further progress in that process.

Today, the Western Balkans is between marginalization and integration. Promises made at numerous EU summits regarding European perspective of the region must not be failed, because it would push the Western Balkans in a bigger depression and isolation. Hesitation of Europe in that respect already breeds skepticism towards Europe in BiH and other Western Balkans countries. Quite contrary, integration processes of the Western Balkans in EU must be intensified and accompanied by concrete financial and political measures which would put in motion a fast economic development of the region.

Dispute between Slovenia and Croatia over the outstanding issues of sea border, which led to a standstill in accession negotiations of Croatia in EU integration process illustrate what these issues can bring about, when they are fuelled by important and long lasting differences. Such a situation results in ‘domino effect’ which can in the future spread on other Western Balkans countries, which could lead to new obstacles in the EU integration process.

The Western Balkans still has negative connotations to its name with the international public. Such a negative image can be successfully toned down, if every country worked separately. It is only done by joint effort and cooperation of all the countries of the region and by involving all the political, economic and human resources at hand. EU must fortify its engagement in intensifying regional cooperation between the Western Balkans countries in all walks of life, in order to resolve the outstanding issues that encumber their relations nowadays.  

Economic and cultural cooperation between the states can be an important element of integration and stabilization of the Western Balkan countries within states and Europe as well. It is about existing bonds, but cultural, linguistic and other similarities between peoples can build a bridge of cooperation, which can enrich Europe considerably.

Which direction is it appropriate to take in order to explore possibilities for prompt accession of BiH and Western Balkans countries to Euro Atlantic integration?

When it comes to BiH, it is, first of all, closure and transformation of OHR as an institution inappropriate for the new phase of integration processes. Under current conditions, the Protectorate Country is attempting to access the association of its protector, which is unprecedented in international relations. It is high time that BiH and EU established a normal accession relation based on trust and fulfillment of obligations. Transformation of OHR into the Office of EU Special Representative would be a definitive step towards EU, which has no turning point. It would be a clear message to home authorities to take responsibility and offer and search for solutions to their own problems in the spirit of EU accession obligations.

BiH must have equal status with other countries of the Western Balkans region in terms of its opportunities to join EU integration processes. With OHR in BiH, it is impossible. At this point, it means two things: gaining EU membership candidacy for all Western Balkans countries simultaneously, and establishing visa- free regime of all countries with EU. All the region of the Western Balkans with other five (countries without visa-free regime) countries has less population than Romania. Many parameters of social, political and economic state in the Western Balkans countries are similar to those that have recently been accepted to EU. Hence, the process must not be stalled and brought into question by ambiguous rhetoric and inexplicit messages from Brussels. Recent statement by EU Enlargement Commissioner about abolition of visas for the Western Balkans countries by the end of the year is an encouraging act by Brussels administration.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The history of the Western Balkans was characterized by frequent changes of geopolitical structure. Common characteristic of regional security dynamics is temporary character of structures, which failed to consolidate as a stable, permanent state. For the first time, the Western Balkans has an opportunity to become a stable, safe connection between the center of Europe and its Southern periphery. For such a venture, we need the help of Europe. We must develop integral approach of EU accession, and focus strongly on the final aim of the integration, which is fulfillment of conditions for full EU membership. On that path, we must leave behind petty, partial and other issues which can present an obstacle to the main, final goal. Our long-standing internal disputes and common accession and other issues can be solved in integration process of united Europe which will make room for the Western Balkans countries.

I am aware that it is not popular to give unreal promises. I am also aware that by painting reality black, hard as it might be, is not fair to citizens.  Elected politicians are there to give hope, retrieve optimism and show the way forward, and that is why we must work harder and believe that we will finally achieve what we are all committed to, democratically.

Maybe on this path we could use some advice:

'Will the Balkans open its sleepy eyes, see its enormous cultural capacity, if it swings as a whole?' , wrote a famous novelist more than 50 years ago.

We that live and work in the Western Balkans countries know that it is possible. It takes more work, committment and responsibility and final aim will not go amiss.

Thank you

Sarajevo, March 10, 2009

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