The roadblock preventing Bosnia and Herzegovina’s progress to Europe will remain in place unless citizens make their representatives move it out of the way, the High Representative and EU Special Representative, Valentin Inzko, told a conference of civil society activists today.

“The last four years have shown that – on their own – BiH politicians cannot or will not do this job,” the HR/EUSR said, and he called on NGOs to be more active in this regard.

“As the EU reform process has stalled, poverty and unemployment have rocketed,” the HR/EUSR said. “The campaign ahead of the October elections should focus on such questions. Why have EU-integration reforms that will improve living standards not been implemented? And how are candidates planning to deal with them in the period to come?”

Arguing that “it is clear today that Bosnia and Herzegovina needs much improved politics,” the HR/EUSR said that citizens and NGOs are not being “pushy” enough to press for this improvement.

He said the roadblock to EU integration would only be pushed out of the way “if citizens take charge” and he called on NGOs to help “make candidates for office properly accountable to the electorate.”

He concluded that most BiH citizens want “a normal European state where they can live and work in security and dignity,” and candidates “should be asked how they plan to deliver this and should be held to account by citizens in order to make these elections a genuine opportunity for this country,” he said.

The full text of the HR/EUSR’s speech can be accessed at www.ohr.int and www.eusrbih.eu