Lejla Hadžić was born in 1982 in Zvornik. She graduated from the Law Faculty of the University of Sarajevo, where she is currently attending the second cycle of studies in Criminal Justice. During her studies she volunteered in the Directorate for European Integration and the Joint Commission on Security and Defence of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Since 2006 she has been working in the Ministry of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina – Sector for International Cooperation and European Integration. She was secretary of the Negotiating Team (Justice, freedom and security) of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement. She is currently secretary of the Structured Dialogue on Justice and Other Issues of Rule of Law and the Subcommittee on Justice and Home Affairs. In February she visited Brussels and Strasbourg in the framework of the EU Visitors Programme (EUVP), which aims to enable young leaders and potential leaders in government, politics, media and other fields from countries that are not EU members, to visit EU institutions and increase mutual understanding between professionals from outside the EU and their EU counterparts.

What was the goal of the visit to Brussels and the EUVP programme and what impressions did it leave on you?
Within the EUVP programme, I had a series of meetings with representatives of EU institutions: the European Commission, the European Parliament, the EU Council and the European External Action Service. Taking into account that I’ve been involved in the European integration process for several years, I’ve used this visit to deepen the knowledge about the work and functioning of the European Union, both in the area of decision-making, but also in creating policies and cooperation with the candidate countries in their accession to the European Union.

Joint harmonised development of member countries is one of the ideas of the European Union which has always fascinated me, taking into account the efforts and work which need to be invested in order to achieve an equal standard of living for citizens of all member states.

Through the programme you had the chance to get acquainted with the practical work of EU policy institutions. Will this experience help you in your future work?
The biggest challenge in the work of the European Union institutions is agreeing and decision-making, or policy action. A comprehensive approach and continuous dialogue are key elements for successful negotiations and the adoption of new legislation.

I think that this approach in negotiations should be used by all participants in the work of the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Conflicting views are not something that are impossible to bring to a common denominator. The solution is good will, patience, understanding and of course an ongoing dialogue. The development of a culture of dialogue is one of the skills which should be paid much more attention.

From your point of view after the visit, how fast do you think Bosnia and Herzegovina will move towards accession to the European Union and what will the programme contribute to promoting the acceleration on this path?
European integration of Bosnia and Herzegovina depends on many factors. Primarily it depends upon the acceptance of the mandatory standards of the European Union. These standards are the same for all Member States and should likewise be valid for Bosnia and Herzegovina. BiH is required to efficiently and in a certain period fulfil all obligations as all Member states, those that are obligatory as well as those agreed upon. In the process, the biggest challenge is the constitutional structure of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and therefore the organization and coordination of the European integration questions, especially at the political level. Having in mind that Bosnia and Herzegovina is the only country in the region that has not drafted a programme of integration, we can only conclude that most of the activities are done ad hoc, without a concrete assessment of the operation and on the basis of insufficiently communicated conclusions.

Currently the only guidelines for the institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina are the annual Progress Reports of the EU. All of the above factors represent challenges, but are not limiting factors and we can overcome them with certain reforms.

In this regard, good knowledge of the EU institutions, their methods of work, and the way of thinking of the representatives of EU and Member States is of significant importance.

Bosnia and Herzegovina is still in the centre of focus of the European Union, which can be seen through the persistence of efforts to find a solution to the necessary reforms in order to adapt the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina to these challenges.

Through this programme, you had the opportunity to meet many competent people in the European Commission. What contacts did you make and what were the main topics of the visit?
Meetings organized by the EUVP were very dynamic and interactive. They presented and explained the processes of functioning of the EU and we shared information on Bosnia and Herzegovina and the current situation regarding the ongoing coordination of EU integration, and processes in the field of justice and home affairs.

Currently the most interesting topic is the Joint Statement of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina on the commitment of political leaders in BiH to undertake the necessary reforms in the framework of the EU accession process. The European Union is optimistic when it comes to the acceptance of this approach to reforms, and expect that political leaders will jointly immediately take further steps when it comes to the implementation of the Joint Statement.

Taking into account that the actions of ISIS is an unavoidable topic, BiH nationals going to foreign battlefields is also a current issue, especially the criminalization of such actions in the criminal legislation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as conduct of investigative authorities in these cases.

In the meetings you had in Brussels, what were the biggest challenges identified for BiH on its path to European membership?
Taking into account the constitutional structure of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the functionality and efficiency of its institutions, as well as economic reforms, are still identified as main challenges. The European Union is making further efforts to encourage political leaders to commit to addressing the issues that will be defined in the Joint Declaration in the aforementioned segments. Overall, Bosnia and Herzegovina has to reach a certain level of functionality when it comes to decision-making, in order to be able to operate within the European Union.

It is very important that we do not miss the opportunity where the attention and support of the European Union is still directed towards Bosnia and Herzegovina.