Speech by

Walter Schwimmer, Council of Europe Secretary General

On the occasion of the accession ceremony of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Strasbourg, 24 April 2002

[Welcome Minister of Foreign Affairs + Chairman of CM (who was recently in Bosnia and Herzegovina) and guests from the International Community (Petritsch, Klein, Beecroft)]

Today is a day of celebration, both for Bosnia and Herzegovina and for Europe. Today we celebrate a victory of the State of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a victory of Europe’s highest values. We celebrate the work we have done, and the work yet to be done.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have come a long way. Ten years ago, in April 1992, a war like so many others but yet unlike any other, began in a place that, up until that time, was a symbol of multi-ethnic, multi-religious tolerance and diversity. Today we pledge to return to those values and see Bosnia-Herzegovina grow into a new symbol of European multi-culturalism and democracy.

The process of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s application to join the Council of Europe has taken over six years, and the accession we celebrate today is the result of common efforts of the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the International Community to build a European democratic country respectful of the right of others. The strengthening of common institutions, human rights, independent judiciary, harmonisation of education curricula and full co-operation with the International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia, were defined among the first conditions for accession. Today we can say that important progress has been made, while recognising that further steps are required.

The passing of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Election Law and the decision of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Constitutional Court regarding the constituency of all three peoples and others over the whole territory of Bosnia-Herzegovina can be singled out amongst the most important factors that tipped the balance in favour of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s membership, and both are still “work in progress”. Indeed, the accession of Bosnia and Herzegovina coincides with what is probably the most important moment of institutional and political process since the Dayton Agreement: It is my hope that the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina will be able to demonstrate their political maturity through the full implementation of the Constitutional Court’s decision.

Accession to the Council of Europe is an important step in an ongoing process. The list of post-accession commitments defined by this Organisation is, at the same time, a list of pre-conditions for a functioning, democratic state. I will say again what I said during my last visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina: fulfilling these commitments means not only honouring an agreement with Council of Europe, but also honouring an agreement with the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina, who rightly ask for a better future.

Today we welcome you as friends and partners. The experience of 43 other European countries confirms that democracy never ceases to be built. In order to help you to benefit from this experience, the Council of Europe has adopted a post-accession programme for Bosnia and Herzegovina, the implementation of which is to begin in the next few days. The road ahead is long, but Bosnia and Herzegovina will not have to walk it alone.

Membership into the Council of Europe will open doors for Bosnia and Herzegovina to other structures of European integration, and allow new paths of co-operation for Bosnia and Herzegovina with the other member states through various Council of Europe programmes and instruments. Furthermore, with the accession of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the outside perception of stability within the region is reinforced and Bosnia and Herzegovina receives its credentials as a stable and functioning European state.

I wish to thank the Bosnian authorities, and you Minister personally, for having presented the Council of Europe with a beautiful painting of the famous Neretva River.

Thank you.