Strasbourg, 8 april 2013 - Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Mr Štefan Füle and Secretary General of the Council of Europe Mr Thorbjørn Jagland regret that narrow party and ethnic interests continue to prevail over genuine engagement to end the constitutional discrimination of many citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina and bring the legislation in line with the European Convention on Human Rights.

The lack of commitment from some of the party leaders to the EU agenda will clearly undermine Bosnia and Herzegovina's European integration process. Time is running out for the Constitution and Election Law to be brought in compliance with the European Convention on Human Rights in view of the 2014 elections. This is contrary to the interest of the citizens of the country. The lack of willingness to compromise and to address the Sejdić-Finci ruling shows that the declared commitment to the EU agenda is not backed up by concrete deeds and action.

Commissioner Füle intends to visit Sarajevo on 11 April together with Council of Europe and Venice Commission technical experts, for a series of consultations aiming at how best to address the Sejdić-Finci ruling. (more...)

Contact:
Daniel Höltgen, Spokesperson, mobile +33 6 68 29 87 51
 

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Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Council of Europe

European Court of Human Rights: Bosnia and Herzegovina - country profile