Press Conferences

The Federation House of Representatives Harmonisation Committee yesterday adopted a key piece of legislation required by BiH’s Feasibility Study.

I had hoped this would be an upbeat press conference but it’s a bleak one. I had hoped to be able to talk about the future. I had hoped to announce this morning that this country was, at last, joining its neighbours on the way to Europe. I had hoped to be able to announce, as a result, a series of initiatives which would have marked the beginning [...]

The BiH Development Strategy interim monitoring results, which show, among other things, that poverty is at last beginning to decrease, are an important sign of positive change.Many citizens will greet this information with skepticism as living conditions do not seem to have improved - which is why the authorities have to make sure that benefits re [...]

On his first day as High Representative Paddy Ashdown identified his primary aim as “putting BiH irreversibly on the path to statehood and on the road to Europe.” That has been the focus of the last three years - and substantial and steady progress has been made. BiH has now moved decisively away from the era of Datyon to the era of Brussels.

Following the collapse of police reform negotiations in Sarajevo earlier this week, when the RS representatives pulled back from commitments they had made during the talks in Vlasic, the aspirations of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s citizens to move closer to Europe - and derive all the real benefits that will come with that - have suffered a severe setb [...]

OHR welcomes the adoption of the Law on the RTV Service by the BiH House of Representatives. The EC has made it clear that the adoption of the legislation on public broadcasting is a requirement for Stabilization and Association Agreement. The law in its current form will create one common system made up of three multiethnic services, broadcasting [...]

As you know the subject of our press conference I need hardly tell you is police reform. As you know the multi-party talks on police restructuring failed last night. Before I say anything let me say that this isn't the end, necessarily. The position is serious, but recoverable. But it is the end for the moment and unless there is a change of view [...]

The OHR welcomes the first meeting of the Expert Commission on Police Areas, which took place yesterday, and which was organised fully under the auspices of the Council of Ministers. The OHR expects that the Commission will be able to produce a number of proposals for the Party leaders to review before adopting one when they meet again on 16 May.

Good morning. Thank you for coming. This is the first time we have had a chance to meet. I hope we can establish a productive working relationship. I am here to talk about Economic issues – the publication of the OHR quarterly Newsletter seemed to us an appropriate time to do this. Although my portfolio as PDHR also includes Rule of Law, I believe [...]

I wanted to speak to you today because I want to make public the first developments in a process that I have already announced.