AMIDŽIĆ: "TROIKA" POLITICIZING CHIEF EU NEGOTIATOR'S SELECTION PROCESS

SARAJEVO, NOVEMBER 4 /SRNA/ – Minister of Finance and Treasury in the Council of Ministers Srđan Amidžić stated that the competence for appointing BiH's chief negotiator with the EU is clearly defined, but that representatives of the "Troika" coalition are attempting to politicize the process.

Amidžić emphasized that members of the "Troika" are trying to use their majority in the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH to take control over the decision on the appointment of the chief negotiator. "You have a situation where the `Troika` says, `Wherever we have a majority, we’ll choose the chief negotiator.` That is simply not normal, nor is it in line with legal practices in neighboring countries. In all of those states, the chief negotiator was appointed by the government or the council of ministers, and that's how the process continued," said Amidžić. He noted that the Council of Ministers has not even begun discussing specific candidates for the position of chief negotiator, but only the establishment of the Office of the Chief Negotiator, which, he added, has also become a subject of political disagreement. "In the same way that the adoption of the state-level budget is being blocked, the processes related to European integration are being stalled. What's the point of appointing a negotiator if there's no progress in adopting the laws needed on the EU path?" Amidžić stressed. Commenting on the negative report by the European Commission on BiH's progress, Amidžić said that such an outcome was not surprising, but nevertheless disappointing. "For BiH to move forward, we must learn to listen to and understand one another. Three nations live in BiH, and if they are not ready to talk and reach agreements, this won't be the last negative report we receive," Amidžić warned.