Dejtonski ustav učinio je da je Bosni i Herrcegovini (BiH) teško ako ne i nemoguće vladati bez međunarodnog monitoringa; on pretjerano privilegira etnicitet koji promoviše etnicitet (oblik etničkog rasizma) u odnosu na građansko; i propagira političku kulturu koja pojačava te nepravde nad građanima.

Sada kad je propao najnoviji evropski napor da se potaknu reforme u BiH – britansko-njemačka inicijativa - nije li vrijeme da se prizna kako je reformisanje Dejtonskog ustava jedini proces – jedini pravedan i etički proces – koji pruža nadu da se zemlja postavi na put funkcionalne vlasti i konačne integracije u EU? Da, BiH ima složenu ustavnu strukturu i, da, mi znamo da EU poštuje različitost unutrašnjih struktura u evropskim zemljama, ali istina je da Dejtonski ustav nije normativan po evropskim standardima i neće uspjeti nijedan proces – uključujući i SAA – koji pokušava da gradi na postojećim strukturama.

Ustavna reforma je teška, i treba da bude. Ali to nije opravdanje da se izbjegava poslije dvije decenije dokaza kako ustav, onakav kakav je, ne služi dobro BiH. Prošle inicijative za ustavnu reformu, uključujući Aprilski paket u kome sam učestvovao, propale su zbog različitih razloga. Ali ako postoji zajednička nit koja vodi kroz sve njih a koja je uglavnom prošla neprimijećena jeste sljedeće: svakoj je nedostajalo jasno i nedvosmisleno opredjeljenje za podršku od strane Evropske unije. Tačno, EU je javno podržavala i učestvovala u ovom ili onom obliku u svim tim inicijativama, ali skoro nepromjenjivo nevoljko. I nakon svakog neuspjelog pokušaja, EU bi požurila da se vrati svojoj duboko ukorijenjenoj opoziciji prema svakom obliku ustavne promjene. Da SAD nisu preuzele vođstvo u poduzimanju ustavne reforme, EU nikad ne bi to uradila sama od sebe.

Ustavna reforma nije propala samo zbog toga što su raniji napori bili inherentno manjkavi. Propala je zato što joj se EU i mnoge evropske zemlje nikad nisu posvetile zdušno i nedvosmisleno. To bi se desilo da su EU i SAD postavile ustavnu reformu kao top prioritet svoje politike u BiH i bile apsolutno za integraciju u EU. Vrijeme je da EU i SAD ponovo postave ustavnu reformu kao prioritet, ovog puta jednoglasno i bez kolebanja.

The Dayton constitution makes Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH) difficult if not impossible to govern without international monitoring; it excessively privileges ethnicity over citizenship which promotes ethnicism (a form of ethnic racism); and it propagates a political culture that reinforces these civic injustices.

Now that the latest European effort to incentivize reform in BiH—-the UK German initiative—has fallen short, isn’t it time to admit that reforming the Dayton constitution is the only process—the only just and ethical one—that has any hope of setting the country on a path to functional governance and eventual EU integration? Yes, BiH has a complex constitutional structure and, yes, we know that the EU respects the diversity of internal structures in European states, but the truth is the Dayton constitution is not normative by European standards, and no process—including the SAA—-which tries to build on its existing structures will work.

Constitutional reform is hard, and it should be. But’s that no excuse for avoiding it after two decades of proof that the constitution, as it stands, is just not serving BiH well. Past constitutional reform initiatives, including the April Package which I participated in, have failed for different reasons. But if there is a common thread running through all of them which has gone largely unnoticed it is this: all lacked a clear and unambiguous commitment of support on the part of the European Union. True, the EU publicly supported and participated in one form or another in all of the initiatives, but almost invariably begrudgingly. And after every failed attempt, the EU was quick to return to its deep seated opposition to any form of constitutional change. If the US had not taken the lead in undertaking constitutional reform, the EU would never have pursued it on its own.

Constitutional reform has not failed simply because previous efforts were inherently flawed. It failed because the EU and many European states have never committed to it enthusiastically and unequivocally. If the EU and US made constitutional reform their top policy priority in BiH and a sine qua non for EU integration, it would happen. It is time for the EU and US to make constitutional reform a priority again, this time with one voice and without vacillation.