Prošlomjesečnizaključak Savjeta Evropske unije da su ispunjeni uslovi za stupanje na snagu Sporazuma o stabilizaciji i pridruživanju (SSP) sa BiH, te da njegova ratifikacija i formalno može okončati, dobra je vijest za proces integrisanja BiH nakon dugo vremena.Naime, BiH je jedina među državama Zapadnog Balkana obuhvaćenim Procesom proširenja u kojoj SSP nije na snazi. Kada su 2008. nakon svega 13 mjeseci pregovori završeni i Sporazum potpisan, BiH je u pogledu napretka u integraciji, izuzevši Republiku Hrvatsku koja je tada uveliko pregovarala o članstvu, bila prepoznatljiva u regionu.U narednim godinama mnogo toga je usporavalo integrativne napore BiH i dovelo je na regionalno začelje, ali zamah koji bi proces trebao dobiti stupanjem na snagu SSP-a može označiti obnovljeni početak.

U domaćoj javnosti dan sastanka Savjeta EU u forumu ministara inostranih poslova nazvan je istorijskim, a očekivanja dobila najšire razmjere. Martovski zaključci Savjeta EU su, ustvari rezultat prvih koraka u realizaciji Inicijative EU o novom pristupu u procesu integrisanja BiH u Uniju. I sam novi pristup je izvjesno vrijeme izazivao polemike. Da li to EU mijenja stav prema BiH, je li umorna od proširenja, naročito nakon najave novog šefa Evropske komisije da u narednih pet godina neće biti pomijeranja granica Unije, ili možda odustaje od principa čije je neprovođenje dugo kočilo proces u BiH? Ovakva i slična pitanjasnažno su zaokupljalajavnu sferu.

Last month’s conclusion of the Council of the European Union that the conditions for entry into force of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with Bosnia and Herzegovina had been met and that its ratification could be formally completed was good news for the integration of BiH after a long time. BiH is the only country of the Western Balkans covered by the enlargement process in which the SAA is not in force. In 2008, when the negotiations were completed and the Agreement signed after only 13 months, Bosnia and Herzegovina was recognisable in the region in terms of its progress in integration, except for the Republic of Croatia which was then already well into membership negotiations. In the following years, there were many factors slowing down the integration efforts of BiH which ended up last in the region. However, the momentum that the process should get from entry into force of the SAA can mark a renewed start.

The local public called the meeting of the Council of the EU at the Forum of Ministers of Foreign Affairs historical and expectations were huge. The March conclusions of the Council of the EU in fact resulted from the first steps in the implementation of the EU initiative on a new approach in the process of integration of BiH into the EU. The new approach itself has also caused controversy for some time. Does this mean that the EU is changing its attitude towards BiH? Is it tired of enlargement, in particular given the announcement by the new head of the European Commission that there will not be movement of EU borders in the next five years? Or else the EU is perhaps giving up on the principles which have long hindered the process in BiH? These and similar questions have strongly occupied the public sphere.

Novi pristup, stari kriteriji

Pokazalo se ono što je odavno jasno. EU ne spušta kriterije za članstvo i ne prilagođava ih nijednoj državu u procesu, ma kakve njene specifičnosti bile. Upravo suprotno, teret prilagođavanja je uvijek na državi aspirantici. Inicijativa ozvaničena na decembarskom sastanku Savjeta EU, prethodnoinicirana u Hrvatskoj, podržana u Sloveniji, a formulisana u Velikoj Britaniji i Njemačkoj, predstavljena je kao pomoć BiH da presloži prioritete u procesu i usredsredi se na ono što je u ovom trenutku (a zapravo godinama) najvažnije – ozbiljne strukturne socio-ekonomske reforme. Novi pristup ne znači odustajanje od kompleksnih i neminovnihpolitičkih zadataka, kao što je promjena Ustava BiH u skladu sa Evropskom konvencijom o ljudskim pravima i temeljnim slobodama, ali jednako tako ne sprečava napredak tamo gdje on realno postoji ili može biti ostvaren.

Svih ovih godina dok u izvještajima Evropske komisije bilježi nedovoljan i ograničen sveukupan napredak, BiH više nego solidnom brzinom prilagođava zakonodavstvo acquis-u u oblasti zaštite intelektualnog vlasništva, carina, azila, migracije, upravljanja granicama, zdravlja bilja…Dok javni prostor obiluje informacijama o kompleksnosti i specifičnosti BiH koje sprečavaju integraciju u EU, bitne činjenice ne nalaze svoje mjesto. Poput onih da je sigurnost ličnih dokumenata u BiH veća nego u mnogim članicama EU, da je BiH uvela digitalne tahografe među prvima u Evropi, da ima azilantski centar u skladu sa svim standardima EU i da je intelektualno vlasništvo bh. zakonima zaštićeno skoro kao i rijetke endemske vrste u svijetu. To, u poređenju sa nemogućnošću izvoza životinjskih namirnica na tržište EU ne djelujekao mnogo, ali nipošto nije ni malo. Čini se da je najveća vrijednost novog pristupa upravo u tome što može da izazove rezultate ili poveća njihovu vidljivost, tj. da vrati fokus na životno važna pitanja. Evropska komisija ćebez sumnje, a to stoji i u decembarskim zaključcima Savjeta EU, posebnu pažnju obratiti na provođenje (regionalno poznate) presude Evropskog suda za ljudska prava u slučaju Sejdić i Finci protiv BiH, kada bude pripremala avis o zahtjevu BiH za članstvo. Iako ovaj teret ne može i ne treba biti ukljonjen, on, zasad, neće dodatno savijati kičmu bh. integracije. Fudbalskim rječnikom kazano, na novi pristup EU se može gledati kao napromjenu formacije. Ako ne ide „po krilima“ možda će ići „po sredini“. Pravila su i dalje ista.

New approach, old criteria

What has long been clearly known has now been shown. The EU does not lower membership criteria nor does it adjust them to any country in the process, whatever its specific features. On the contrary, the burden of adjustment is always on the aspiring countries. The initiative formalized at the December meeting of the Council of the EU, previously initiated in Croatia, supported in Slovenia and formulated in Great Britain and Germany, was presented as assistance to BiH to rearrange the priorities in the process and to focus on what is the most important at the moment (and actually has been for years) – serious structural socio-economic reforms. The new approach does not mean giving up on the complex and unavoidable political tasks, such as changing the Constitution in accordance with the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. It does not prevent progress either where it really exists or can be achieved.

While reports of the European Commission note insufficient and limited overall progress, BiH has had all these years more than good speed in approximating legislation with the acquis in the field of protection of intellectual property, customs, asylum, migration, border management, plant health…While public space abounds with information on the complexity and specificity of BiH that prevents integration into the EU, the essential facts are not given due attention. Like those that the security of personal documents in BiH is higher than in many EU Member States, that BiH has introduced digital tachographs among the first countries in Europe, that it has an asylum centre in compliance with all EU standards and that intellectual property of BiH is almost as protected by laws as rare endemic species in the world. This, compared to the inability to export animal foods onto the EU market, does not seem much, but is by no means little. It seems that the greatest value of the new approach is precisely that it can cause results or increase their visibility, i.e. restore focus on the vital issues. No doubt, The European Commission will, as stated in the December conclusions of the Council of the EU, pay special attention to the implementation of the (regionally known) ruling of the European Court of Human Rights in the Sejdić-and-Finci-vs-BiH case, when preparing the avis on the application of Bosnia and Herzegovina for membership. Although this burden cannot and should not be removed, it will not, for now, further hamper the integration of BiH. In football vocabulary, the new approach of the EU can be seen as a change of formation. If a breakthrough cannot be made “on the wings”, it might be possible “down the middle”. The rules are still the same.

Poslovno čudo, a ne država slučaj

Preraspodjela prioriteta u procesu i ulaganje svih raspoloživih resursa u reforme bitne i vidljive građanima, trebali bi da rezultuju suštinskim napretkom. U formalnom kontekstu integracije u EU - dobijanjem statusa kandidata za članstvo, većim iznosima predpristupne pomoći i snažnijoj političkoj poziciji BiH u odnosima s Unijom. U kontekstu svakodnevnice – rastom zaposlenosti, životnog standarda i boljom zaštitom pravâ građana. Reforme, prije svega podrazumijevaju smanjenje stope nezaposlenosti, rast bruto društvenog proizvoda, bolju investicionu klimu i realnu socijalnu zaštitu. U praksi, to znači manja poreska opterećenja poslodavaca, kraće administrativne procedure za pokretanje biznisa, restrukturiranje preuzeća i socijalnu zaštitu prema stvarnim potrebama, a ne zaslugama. Novoizabrane bh. vlasti sada trebaju sačiniti plan kako navedeno ostvaritite kako, poslovično rečeno, dobiti na mostu, a ne izgubiti na ćupriji.Kao osnova bi trebao poslužiti prošlogodišnji Sporazum za rast i zapošljavanje, koji je prepoznao šest ključnih reformskih zahvata. Takođe, prije nekoliko dana Institut Inicijativa za europsku stabilnost (ESI) izložio je 14 reformskih poteza koji bi, prema ocjeni uglednih autora, od BiH za godinu mogli napraviti poslovnog „wunderkinda“. Pri tome ne treba imati iluzija da će posao teći glatko i da će sve što bude planirano, naići na opšti konsenzus. Ali ne treba praviti ni „slučaj“ od činjenice da je BiH kompleksno uređena država podijeljenih nadležnosti, jer takve su i mnoge članice EU.

Niz je primjera u kojima je BiH dokazala da itekako može biti funkcionalna i kredibilna, a najsvježiji, od prije nekoliko dana, je da je ispoštovala standarde za izvoz krompira u EU.Ispunjenje uslova za uvrštavanje na tzv. bijelu Šengen listu je već stari, ali i dalje vrlo ogledan primjer.

Osim socio-ekonomskih reformi, krupan izazov za BiH, a u direktnoj vezi s procesom integrisanja je unapređenje mehanizma koordinacije. Opet, nije da u BiH ne postoji koordinacija tzv. evropskih poslova. Suština je što postojeća ne može adekvatno odgovoriti narednim izazovima i rastu obima poslova u procesu. Efikasna koordinacija je godinama nezaobilazna tema izvještaja Evropske komisije o napretku, a njen izostanak čak i jedan od razloga zbog kojih su prepolovljeni iznosi godišnjih IPA alokacija za BiH u novom budžetskom periodu EU.Kreiranje ove, za proces na operativnom nivou, izuzetno važne alatke, moglo bi biti među prvim zadacima nove vlasti, barem prema najavama bh. zvaničnika.

Business miracle, not a case state

Reorganisation of priorities in the process and investment of all available resources into reforms, which are essential and visible to citizens, should result in substantial progress. In the formal context of EU integration – the membership candidate status brings larger amounts of pre-accession assistance and stronger political position of BiH in relations with the Union. In the context of everyday life – employment growth, better living standards and better protection of citizens’ rights. First of all, the reforms imply a reduction in the unemployment rate, GDP growth, a better investment climate and real social protection. In practice, this means lower tax burdens for employers, shorter administrative procedures for starting a business, restructuring of enterprises and social protection according to actual needs, rather than according to merit. Newly elected BiH authorities now need to draw up a plan on how to achieve the above and, proverbially speaking, make a gain which does not bear a loss. Last-year’s Compact for Growth and Jobs which recognized six key reform measures should serve as a basis. A few days ago, the institute European Stability Initiative (ESI) presented 14 reform measures that would, in the opinion of prominent authors, make Bosnia and Herzegovina a Wunderkind of doing business in a year. We should not have any illusions that the work will go smoothly and that everything planned will meet a general consensus. However, we should not make a “case” of the fact that BiH is a complex state of divided jurisdictions, as many EU Member States are such.

There are numerous examples in which BiH has proved to be very functional and credible. The most recent one, from a few days ago, is that it complied with the standards for export of potatoes to the EU. The prerequisites for inclusion into the so-called Schengen White List were provided some time ago, but are still a very representative example.

In addition to socio-economic reforms, a big challenge for BiH, directly related to the process of integration, is improvement of the coordination mechanism. Again, it is not as if there is no coordination of so-called European affairs in BiH. The point is that the current coordination cannot adequately respond to the coming challenges and the growing volume of work in the process. Effective coordination has been an unavoidable issue in the European-Commission progress report for years. Its lack is one of the reasons why the annual IPA allocations for BiH have been halved in the new EU budgeting period. Creating this tool, extremely important for the process at the operational level, could be among the first tasks of the new authorities, at least according to the announcements by BiH officials.

EU nije cilj per se

Sudeći prema raspoloženju javnog mnijenja, u EU raste euroskepticizam a na nekoliko posljednjih izbora u državama članicama prevagu su odnijele desno orjentisane Vlade. U Junkerovoj Komisiji više nema komesara za proširenje koji se tako zove, a trgovinski rat Unije sa Rusijom, sukobi u Ukrajini i kriza zajedničke valute su velike brige 28-rke. Među vodećim misliocima sadašnjice nema dileme da krizira i sama ideja ujedinjene Evrope. Britanija prijeti izlaskom iz zajednice, Island je povukao zahtjev za članstvo. Sve su ovo činjenice koje bi u BiH, pa i čitavom regionu mogle biti korištene kao izgovor za nečinjenje. No sjetimo se da ovo nije prva ni ekonomska ni institucionalna kriza EU, da je u pozadini događaja na istoku Evrope (baš kao i na mnogim drugim mjestima) bitka za energiju, te da Island već ima razvijene trgovinske i partnerske odnose s Unijom. Istovremeno ne zaboravimo da prema zvaničnoj statistici čitav Zapadni Balkan ima stanovnika koliko pola Poljske i da nijedna država ovog regiona nema uslove i resurse da bude izolovano ostrvo u moru još uvijek konkurentne evropske ekonomije.

Na kraju, intergacija u EU nije sama sebi svrha. To je dobrovoljan proces, čiji bi mehanizmi trebalo da posluže prvenstveno jednom cilju – boljem životu građana. Preduslov njegovog postizanja je preobražaj cjelokupnog društva. U BiH postoji apsolutni politički konsenzus da članstvo u EU nema alternativu. Tako, prema preliminarnim rezultatima najnovijeg istraživanja javnosti kojeg je provela Direkcija za evropske integracije Savjeta ministara BiH misli i 78% građana ove zemlje. To je, više nego očit pokazatelj šta raditi, počevši već juče.

The EU is not a goal per se

Judging by the public opinion, Euro-scepticism is growing in the EU. In several recent elections in Member States, right-oriented governments prevailed. The Junker Commission no longer has an Enlargement Commissioner and a trade war between the EU and Russia, the conflict in Ukraine and the crisis of the common currency are major concerns for the 28 EU Member States. Among the leading thinkers of today, there is no doubt that the very idea of a united Europe is in a crisis. Britain threatens to leave the community, Iceland has withdrawn its application for membership. These are all facts that could be used in BiH and the entire region as an excuse for inaction. But we should remember that this is not the first economic or institutional crisis of the EU, that in the background of events in Eastern Europe (just like in many other places) there is a battle for energy and that Iceland already has well-developed trade and partnership relations with the Union. At the same time, let us not forget that, according to official statistics, the entire Western Balkans has half as much population as Poland and that no country in this region has the conditions and resources to be an isolated island in the sea of still competitive European economy.

Finally, integration into the EU is not an end in itself. It is a voluntary process, whose mechanisms should primarily serve one goal – improvement of citizens’ living standards. A prerequisite for its achievement is transformation of the entire society. In BiH, there is an absolute political consensus that EU membership has no alternative. This is the opinion of 78% of the citizens of this country, according to preliminary results of the latest public-opinion survey conducted by Directorate for European Integration of the Council of Ministers. This is more than an obvious indicator of what to do, starting as early as yesterday.