Representatives of the European Commission and of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) met on 3 and 4 July 2013 in Brussels for the 6th Interim Committee meeting in the framework of the Interim Agreement (IA) and the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) between the European Union and BiH.
The Commission recalled the Council Conclusions on the need for BiH to urgently implement the Sejdić/Finci ruling of the European Court of Human Rights. The Commission regretted that despite repeated sustained facilitation efforts no progress can be seen.
The Commission also regretted that no solution has been found by BiH for the establishment of an effective and efficient coordination mechanism of the State, the Entities and the Brčko-District of BiH for the transposition, implementation and enforcement of EU law in BiH.
Both delegations agreed to continue the positive work in the framework of the Structured Dialogue on Justice.
The delegation of BiH informed about progress with regard to the implementation of the Roma Action Plan. Concerning education, the Commission regretted that no progress can be seen in the reduction of mono-ethnic schools across the country and encouraged relevant authorities to step up their efforts.
The delegation of BiH informed about the finalisation of the Global Framework for Fiscal Policies 2014-2016 expected to be adopted by the Fiscal Council still in July.
The Commission urged BiH to finalise in a swift and comprehensive manner the preparation for the census to be held in October 2013.
The Commission expressed its disappointment that the negotiations regarding the protocol to the SAA/IA between the EU and BiH to take account of the accession of Croatia are stalled. The Commission and BiH are ready to continue the negotiations in the coming weeks.
Both delegations discussed the level of approximation and transposition of the EU rules and standards in key areas and concluded that overall only limited progress can be noted. The delegation of BiH informed that the State Aid Council is fully established and cases will be dealt with as from October 2013. The Commission reiterated the need for BiH to transpose the EU acquis in particular with regard to anti-discrimination, public procurement, food-safety and veterinary issues, as well as energy.
