№09 Making the Market on Constitutional Reform in BiH in the Wake of the EU Initiative.
№09 Making the Market on Constitutional Reform in BiH in the Wake of the EU Initiative.

Author(s): Oscar Fernandez, Valery Perry, Kurt Bassuener
Subject(s): Politics, Constitutional Law, International relations/trade, EU-Accession / EU-DEvelopment, EU-Legislation
Published by: DPC Democratization Policy Council e.V.
Keywords: BiH; Dayton accords; constitutional reform; EU; council of europe; high representative; US; Milorad Dodik; Dragan Čović; Sejdić-Finci;
Summary/Abstract: The European Union (EU) initiative for Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), initiated by Germany and the United Kingdom in November 2014, has effectively sidelined the question of constitutional change for the foreseeable future. EU officials and member state diplomats have taken great pains to emphasize that none of the vaguely outlined (and yet to be defined) reforms in the “irrevocable written commitment” recently accepted by party leaders and voted on in the BiH Parliamentary Assembly will require any amendment to the Dayton constitutional order; statements by Republika Srpska (RS) President Milorad Dodik echo this assertion. Whether the socio-economic reforms envisioned in the Compact for Growth and other elements can be achieved without confronting these structural issues remains to be seen. That it took two and a half months from the adoption of the initiative by the EU to secure the commitment is worthy of note, as is the fact that signatories to the commitment – notably HDZ BiH leader Dragan Čović – at the same time continue to advocate for major changes to the state structure.

• Details
• Contents