http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1223644622.81/
Bosnia must reform constitution to join EU: Commissioner 10 October 2008, 20:06 CET (SARAJEVO) - Bosnia must reform its constitution and hold a census before becoming a candidate for European Union membership, the EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said in Sarajevo Friday. "We are in favour of constitution evolution which can be done and must be done in full respect of Dayton peace agreement," Rehn told reporters following a meeting with the country's tripartite presidency. "It is important that the country will be able to speak with one voice as a future candidate country of the European Union," he said, referring to a longstanding gridlock among Bosnia's main parties over adopting constitutional reforms and strengthening central institutions. "If I were to see nightmares I will see nightmares of Bosnia-Herzegovina blocking the decision making in the EU because of its own political stalemates, because of a dysfunctional state structure." Rehn slammed local politicians over the current stalemate in the reform process which is "hurting the country's progress towards EU" and the use of nationalistic rhetoric in the buildup to last Sunday's local elections. The Dayton peace agreement, signed at the end of the Bosnian 1992-95 war, split Bosnia in the Serb Republika Srpska and the Muslim-Croat Federation. Each has its own government, police and judiciary, but central government institutions remain weak. The US embassy here also voiced concern later Friday over Bosnia's future. "My government's assessment is that Bosnia and Herzegovina is moving disturbingly in the wrong direction," ambassador Charles English said in a statement. English criticised the Muslim chairman of Bosnia's tripartite presidency Haris Silajdzic over his recent statements before the UN Security Council saying they were "irresponsible and detrimental to the country's progress." Silajdzic called on the abolition of the Serb-run entity saying the Dayton peace deal was intended to "annul the results of genocide and ethnic cleansing." English also slammed Bosnian Serb leaders for their repeated calls on a referendum on independence of their entity. He warned that Washington "will not tolerate any challenges, whether they be internal or external, to Bosnia's sovereignty or territorial integrity." The office of the powerfull international representative in Bosnia, Miroslav Lajcak, also warned Friday Bosnian politicians to "stop once for ever with unilateral threats and challenges to the Dayton Peace Agreement and focus instead on European priorities." Bosnia signed in June a Stabilisation and Association Agreement with Brussels, seen as the first step towards EU membership. Rehn added that the Balkan country has to conduct a census in 2011 as the EU needs clear data in order to formulate policies for Bosnia. Bosnian Serbs are strongly in favour of an ethnic census, while Muslim claim that it would cement the results of wartime ethnic cleansing. _,_._,___
