15 years after Dayton: what future for Bosnia and Herzegovina?

Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is presently going through the worst political crisis since the end of the war in 1995. The current five-party coalition has ruled the country since 1996 on a very divisive nationalist platform. The political rhetoric has become extremely nationalist and among the citizens the fear of an outburst of another conflict is greater than ever since the Dayton Peace Accords. It almost seems as if the international community is not yet quite aware of the seriousness of the situation in BiH. The question arises therefore how the international community, especially the European Union, should deal with the problem the situation in BiH represents. While the year 2010 marks the fifteenth anniversary of the Dayton Peace Accords, it is also in October 2010 when –with the upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections– the future of the new democracy will be decided upon. European integration is the only path that can provide for BiH’s long-term stability and economic success. Will there be strategic endeavours of the international community aimed at a political turnaround of the country, endeavours including an agreement on a constitutional reform which could turn BiH into a functional democratic state? Will there be a clear strategy of the EU towards BiH, a strengthening of the alternative democratic forces and an overcoming of the political blockade in the Euro-Atlantic integration process?

Speakers:

Moderator:
Claude Weinber, Director Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung European Union, Brussels