Bosnia and Herzegovina’s problems will be solved through a reasonable approach, and “in the great scheme of things, reason trumps passion every time,” High Representative and EU Special Representative told a meeting of the European Movement in Sarajevo today.
He compared reason and passion to the tortoise and the hare. “The ascendancy of passion is an illusion – political bombast contains within it the seeds of its own demise. Reasonable politics, by contrast, are characterized by resilience and perseverance, and these are indispensable elements in long-term success.”
The HR/EUSR pointed out that a full year and a half since the signing of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement, the governments and parliaments have done little to implement it.
“It would be reasonable if the members of the ruling coalition – under whose authority the SAA was negotiated and signed – were to begin enacting the reforms they have formally promised to enact,” he said.
Among BiH’s European integration priorities, the HR/EUSR listed adopting strategies to fight drugs and money laundering and corruption, establishing a BiH Ministry of Agriculture, enacting the BiH Law on Obligations, modernizing the banking supervision system, establishing a BiH Economic and Social Council, establishing and implementing priorities for sustainable economic development, and establishing a Competition Agency.
“This is a reasonable agenda – and a necessary one that will bring benefits to the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina,” he said. “These and other steps must be taken before this country joins the European Union. Yet some – including some who vocally support BiH EU membership – will oppose these steps with passion. I guarantee that very few of these opponents will marshal reasonable arguments to support their passion.”
The HR/EUSR described the European Union itself as “a reasonable response to practical challenges,” noting that “it is built upon pragmatism, not ideology, and it operates on the basis of constructive consensus. It is a remarkable, durable and effective example of reason – common sense – put into practice.”
“The vast majority of people in this country want a better life inside the European Union,” he concluded. “It would be reasonable for the political establishment to make that wish come true. They should be reminded of this is at every possible opportunity between now and election day.”
