Sections of the General Affairs Council conclusions on Enlargement and Stabilisation and Association Process directly related to Bosnia and Herzegovina are below.

For the full version of the Conclusions please click on the link at the bottom of the article.

General Affairs Council meeting

Brussels, 16 December 2014

The Council adopted the following conclusions:

“1. The Council takes note of the communication from the Commission of 8 October 2014 on the Enlargement Strategy and Main Challenges 2014-2015 and the progress reports on Turkey, Montenegro, Serbia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo*, and of the conclusions and recommendations therein.

2. In line with the renewed consensus on enlargement approved by the European Council on 14 and 15 December 2006, and the Council conclusions of 13 December 2013, the Council reiterates that enlargement remains a key policy of the EU and continues to contribute to mutual benefits of peace, democracy, security and prosperity in Europe. The Council continues to attach great importance to the credibility of the enlargement process, which remains crucial for maintaining the momentum of reforms and public support for enlargement both in the region, where it should be promoted through better communication, and in the EU Member States.

3. Active and credible accession negotiations, which respect the EU’s commitments and established conditionality, along with all the other dimensions of the EU-Turkey relations addressed in these conclusions, will enable EU-Turkey relations to achieve their full potential. The Council reaffirms its unequivocal commitment to the European perspective of the Western Balkans. In line with previous Council conclusions and in the framework of the Copenhagen political criteria and Stabilisation and Association Process, that remains the common framework for relations with the Western Balkans up to their accession, it also reaffirms the need, in accordance with the renewed consensus on enlargement, for fair and rigorous conditionality and the principle of own merits, combined with the EU’s capacity, in all its dimensions, to integrate new members.

4. The Council welcomes the efforts of the Commission to strengthen the focus on addressing fundamental reforms early in the process and in particular the emphasis on the three pillars of the rule of law, economic governance and public administration reform. These issues linked to the Copenhagen criteria are of horizontal significance, fall within established conditionality, and need to be tackled with determination.

5. The Council underlines the central importance of the rule of law. In line with the new approach, key challenges that require particular and urgent attention include, in particular, judicial reform, the fight against organised crime and corruption, the freedom of expression and the media, the rights of persons belonging to minorities, the non-discriminatory treatment of national minorities, as well as tackling discrimination of vulnerable groups such as the Roma, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) persons. Further work is also required to promote gender equality and the rights of women. The Council looks forward to the completion of preparations aimed at candidate countries’ participation as observers in the work of the EU’s Fundamental Rights Agency. The rule of law is also crucial for economic development and creating a favourable business environment and investment climate.

6. The Council welcomes the Commission’s increased focus on strengthening economic governance and competitiveness, with the aim of improving the business environment and boosting growth, job-creation and investment. To support efforts towards meeting the Copenhagen economic criteria, the Council notes that for the Western Balkans, this will involve the preparation of Economic Reform Programmes. In particular, the Council welcomes efforts to reflect the European Semester process at the EU level in the new economic governance approach and encourages further work on this. Based on these programmes, the Council will set out targeted policy guidance. In this context the Council recalls the importance of accurate and reliable statistics as a key factor in economic governance. The Council looks forward to the establishment of a high-level economic dialogue with Turkey. It underlines the importance for European citizens and business of improving energy and transport networks and connectivity. In this regard, the Council also calls for closer cooperation with EU Member States as a contribution to EU energy security, including the infrastructure to diversify supply sources. Supporting economic growth and development should also mitigate migratory pressure on the EU.

7. The Council welcomes the Commission’s enhanced approach on public administration reform. It looks forward to a more structured, political discussion in the Stabilisation and Association Agreement bodies, as well as the use of the accession negotiations to encourage the necessary reforms, in order to address politicisation of public service and challenges in terms of its transparency, accountability, professionalism and effectiveness.

8. Strengthening the functioning and independence of democratic institutions is essential. This includes ensuring constructive, inclusive and sustainable dialogue across the political spectrum, notably within the parliament and with civil society. In this regard, more needs to be done to foster an enabling environment for civil society organisations.

9. Developments beyond the EU’s borders underline the importance of further deepening cooperation on foreign policy issues. Bilateral foreign policy dialogue should be enhanced. In this regard, the Council underlines the importance of progressive alignment with the EU’s foreign policy positions, notably on issues where major common interests are at stake, such
as on Russia and Ukraine.

10. The Council recalls the continued EU financial assistance, in particular in the form of the new Instrument for Pre-Accession (IPA II) for the period 2014-2020. The launch of IPA II sees the introduction of a sector approach, enhanced coherence between the financial assistance and the overall progress made in the implementation of the pre-accession strategy, increased budget support and prioritisation of projects. Coordination with international financial institutions is being further strengthened.

11. Good neighbourly relations and regional cooperation are essential elements of the Enlargement process, as well as of the Stabilisation and Association Process, and contribute to prosperity, stability, reconciliation and a climate conducive to addressing open bilateral issues and the legacies of the past. The Council welcomes the efforts made to overcome legacies of the past, foster reconciliation and support inclusive regional cooperation, including through promoting a climate of tolerance and condemning all forms of hate speech or wartime rhetoric. The Council reiterates the need to avoid any source of friction or actions that could damage good neighbourly relations and the peaceful settlement of disputes. Continuous efforts are needed in this regard, including the protection of all minorities, ensuring equal rights for all citizens, and addressing the issues of missing persons and refugee return. The Council underlines the need to continue handling domestic war crimes cases, as well as addressing impunity for war crimes and to ensure accountability, including fully cooperating with and supporting the work of ICTY and the EULEX Special Investigative Task Force.

12. In general, continued efforts are needed to tackle outstanding bilateral disputes, including border disputes, in order to ensure that they do not have a detrimental effect on the accession process. Outstanding disputes and issues should be solved in line with international law and established principles, including through implementation of legally binding agreements, inter alia the Agreement on Succession Issues.

13. While recognising in particular the importance of visa liberalisation for citizens, the Council encourages the Commission to continue to closely monitor the implementation of all conditions set for visa liberalisation, including through its follow-up mechanism. The Council encourages the authorities concerned to actively continue their efforts to take all the necessary measures against the abuse of the visa free travel regime in order to ensure its unrestricted continuation and encourages them to continue the constructive cooperation in the field of the management of migration flows.

14. The Council fully supports the work of the South-East European Cooperation Process and the Regional Cooperation Council, its operational arm, and its focus on addressing the targets and priorities of the SEE 2020 Strategy. The Council takes good note of the June 2014 decision of the SEECP to make Kosovo a participant. The Council underlines the importance of regional economic cooperation sharing best practice on economic governance and promoting connectivity and inclusiveness within the region and with the EU. In this regard the Council welcomes the work of the Western Balkans Investment Framework which supports investments boosting jobs and growth and promoting connectivity, based on a coordinated approach for the major investments along the main infrastructure corridors. The Council welcomes all regional initiatives aimed at strengthening inclusive dialogue and cooperation.

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BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

48. The Council expresses serious concern that the country remains at a standstill in its EU integration process due to a lack of collective political will on the part of the political leaders to address the reforms necessary for progress on the EU path. The Council therefore welcomes the renewed EU approach as set out in its conclusions of 15 December 2014.

49. Moreover, taking into account the fragility of the socio-economic situation, which has been exacerbated by the severe floods which hit the country in May, the Council welcomes the initiatives of the Commission to focus on reforms and issues of direct concern to citizens. The Council welcomes the wider remit of the EU-Bosnia and Herzegovina Structured Dialogue on Justice covering additional rule of law matters, in particular the fight against corruption, the setting up of a joint EU-Bosnia and Herzegovina Working Group to accelerate the implementation of EU funded projects and the development of a ‘Compact for Growth and Jobs’ together with key actors including international financial institutions.

50. The Council notes that the establishment of an effective coordination mechanism on EU issues would improve the country’s interaction with the EU, including with respect to IPA funding. Progress in this regard would open the way for Bosnia and Herzegovina to benefit
fully from the funding available.

51. The Council calls on Bosnia and Herzegovina to revise its position urgently so that an adaptation of the Interim Agreement/Stabilisation and Association Agreement can be finalised as soon as possible based on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s traditional trade with Croatia.

52. The Council calls on Bosnia and Herzegovina to act swiftly and with determination on the Council conclusions of 15 December 2014.

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Read the full version of the Council conclusions on Enlargement and Stabilisation and Association Process here: http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/EN/genaff/146326.pdf