Slovakia’s new project helped to strengthen democratic reforms and gave Bosnia and Herzegovina’s chances of joining NATO and the EU a boost.
Sarajevo, Bratislava, 24th November 2011 – Bosnia a Herzegovina is now closer to NATO and EU membership thanks in no small part to Slovak know-how. The Balkan country is in a similar position today, as Slovakia was some time ago: its ambitions for integrating into these organisations are hampered by a complicated political situation and underdeveloped democratic institutions. Slovakia helped transfer its know-how from the integration process through the project Improving Democratic Institutions – Door to Europe, which was concluded yesterday in Sarajevo by representatives of both countries. The project was organised by the Slovak Atlantic Commission (SAC) in cooperation with its local partners, and with the financial help of SlovakAid.
Close relationship
The Western Balkans is one of Slovakia’s foreign policy priorities. “Slovakia has not only strong emotional ties to the region and its people, but it also understands how important stability and prosperity in the region is.” explained Rastislav Káčer, the president of SAC. Regarding the region’s Euro-Atlantic future, Mr Káčer remarked that “Bosnia and Herzegovina’s fate is in its own hands, but it also has friends willing to help”
The experience of Slovakia shows that it is better for a small country to be at the table where decisions are made, than to wait for the decision of others. In spite of the difficult political situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, representatives of the government and most of its citizens are enthusiastic of the Euro-Atlantic direction of the country. “We need NATO and the EU to meet a certain standard” said Fuad Šabeta, the director of the Peace and Security division of the Bosnian Foreign Ministry.
Integrational obstacles
The ambitions for EU and NATO integration face opposition in the Republika Srpska. “Republika Srpska was bombarded by NATO aircraft in 1995” explains Šabeta, “however we have to be rational, NATO means stability. When you have stability you have investment. NATO is the future for our country and for the whole region.” In the area of regional cooperation, Mr. Šabeta considers Central Europe a model: “I have yet to see better cooperation than in the V4” he concluded.
Project
The project Improving Democratic Institutions – Door to Europe helped transfer the Slovak experience with security sector and defence reform, and the know-how from institutional reform in connection with its accession to NATO and the EU. “Of the six years in Bosnia and Herzegovina, this was so far the most successful Slovak project in the country” emphasised Miroslav Mojžita, the Slovak ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, at the meeting.
The Bosnian Centre for International Relations (CIR) cooperated on the project. It’s president, Miloš Šolaja is pleased with how the project showed the positive experience of Slovakia with the accession process: “The contribution is most conspicuous in several key areas, like the meeting of security and economic standards for EU and NATO membership, some of which we have implemented within this project” Another local nongovernmental organization, the Centre for security studies, also contributed to the project.
