Jovica Katić was born in 1978 in Sarajevo, where he attended primary and secondary school, and graduated from the Faculty of Criminology, University of Sarajevo. Since 2007, he has been working in the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH PA), first in the position of Senior Advisor to the Joint Commission for Defence and Security, and then as the advisor for information in the Department of Public Relations of the PA. He also performs the function of Secretary of the Commission for the selection and monitoring of the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption and Anti-corruption, with which, in cooperation with representatives of the EU Delegation to BiH, he actively worked on amendments to the Law on the Agency for Prevention of Corruption and Anti-corruption. In September 2014, he visited Brussels and Strasbourg in the framework of the EU Visitors Programme (EUVP), which aims to enable young leaders, 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.

Under the EU Visitors Programme (EUVP) you had a first-hand opportunity to become acquainted with the objectives of the European Union, its policies, its institutions and people. What impression did the visit leave on you?

The EUVP is a very dynamic, interactive program created solely with the aim of acquainting participants with the work of counterparts abroad. During my career, I have had the opportunity of attending a variety of business training seminars organised by eminent international organisations. I want to emphasize that EUVP definitely falls into one of the best organised training programmes in which I have ever participated. On the other hand, EUVP helped me tremendously to make direct contacts with different people in the European Parliament and the European Commission and to witness the policies-in-action and practical workings of these institutions. It also provided me with a wide network of partner contacts of immeasurable significance to my future work on everyday activities and tasks I perform in the PA.

In addition, the aim of the visit was to increase mutual understanding between professionals from non-EU countries and their EU counterparts. Do they see Bosnia and Herzegovina in the European Union in the near future?

Of course, an unavoidable topic during all these meetings was the progress of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and fulfilment of individual commitments of our country on the path to EU integration. Representatives of the European Parliament, with whom I had the opportunity to speak during the course of this program, as well as colleagues who are employed in this institution, expect that, after the recently held general elections in BiH, governments at all levels will be formed soon.

In this regard, of particular note is the need for the future proactive role of the new session of the Council of Ministers and the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina on the path of EU integration of our country, with special focus on the full implementation of the ruling of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg in the case of “Sejdic-Finci”. In addition, it was pointed out that governments at all levels in BiH urgently need to establish a functioning coordination mechanism, to ensure effective transposition, implementation and enforcement of EU law, and that the state could act unanimously in matters concerning EU integration. If the new government in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the period ahead of us successfully meets these requirements, I think we can expect our application for membership in the EU to be accepted, and immediately thereafter we can expect to be given official candidate status for membership. Since the EU enlargement process is not a complete story, and considering that the member countries of the EU see our country as a future member of the European family, I must say that I look forward with heightened optimism on the efficient passage of BiH through all stages of negotiations with the EU.

Through this programme you had the opportunity to meet many competent people at the European Commission. In your opinion, which are the necessary steps that Bosnia and Herzegovina needs to take in order to overcome the obstacles to European integration and finally move forward?

Almost all of the conversations I had with people employed in the European Commission in Brussels were related to the fulfilment of obligations of BiH regarding the last progress report of our country, as part of the enlargement package. In accordance with the tasks performed within the Secretariat of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly, I focused on the question of the status of our country in the field of improving the general security of citizens and effectively combating organised crime and corruption.

In this regard, the interlocutors, various experts employed at the European Commission, are of the opinion that BiH has made limited progress in advancing reforms to reduce corruption. In their view, this issue still has a strong influence on the whole public sector in our country, and that it is especially evident in the areas of service and access to employment. They also indicated that the inefficient judicial system in BiH, taking particular account of the investigation and judgment in criminal cases in the area of corruption, is a major obstacle to attracting foreign investment to BiH. The legal framework is defined as sufficient, while the implementation of laws was found weak and inconsistent. I want to believe that the authorities in the country in the period ahead of us will work fast on the implementation of systemic reforms concerning EU integration of BiH. This could eliminate the current difficulties mentioned by the European Commission in BiH Progress Report for this year.

EUVP is designed for young leaders from countries outside the European Union. How will this visit affect your future work?

EUVP helped me tremendously. I familiarized myself in detail with the entire legislative process of the EU. Colleagues in the European Parliament introduced me to the organizational structure and procedures of the institution. In addition, in separate interviews with deputies of the European Parliament, I became acquainted with the organization and operation of the caucuses, as well as the decision-making processes both at plenary sessions and the sessions of individual working bodies – the Commission of the European Parliament.

I will share lessons learned and experiences gained from the EUVP with all members at the next session of the Commission for the selection and monitoring of the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption and Anti-Corruption of BiH PA. This will further strengthen parliamentary capacity and the management system for fighting corruption in BiH. Furthermore, I believe that my participation in this program will result in further enhancement of cooperation between the representatives of the EU Delegation and delegates of both Houses of the BiH PA in the field of prevention and fight against corruption. This is, after all, one of the most important issues related to the process of EU integration of BiH in the future.