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Republika Srpska threatens the citizens of Bosnia and Kosovo with a veto for the lifting of visas

2023-06-27 07:37:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Republika Srpska threatens the citizens of Bosnia and Kosovo with a veto for the

The parents of actor Alban Ukaj from Prishtina have visited Sarajevo only twice during the 22 years he has lived there. They don't visit because they need visas for that, and the procedures [for visa equipment] are difficult and kill dignity, says Ukaj.

Announcements that visas could be waived after the signing of the agreement on free movement in the Western Balkans, from November 2022, as part of the Berlin Process, are controversial after the new blockade by the entity Republika Srpska (RS).

"The time will come to take responsibility for jeopardizing basic human freedoms", says Ukaj, commenting on the announcement of politicians from the Republika Srpska entity about the further blocking of the agreement.

The lifting of visas with Kosovo has been opposed for years by politicians from Bosnia and Herzegovina, entities headed by President Milorad Dodik, who heads the governing Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD).

The deputies of the National Assembly of the RS will discuss the veto of the member of the BiH Presidency, Zheljka Cvijanovic, who declared that she was overvoted in the last session of the collective head of state, on Tuesday, June 27.

New blockades are looming after the latest speech by Cvijanovic, otherwise official of the SNSD, who has called the issue destructive to the vital interest of the Republika Srpska entity.

Cvijanovic mentioned the initiation of the veto due to the "escalation of the crisis in the north of Kosovo", saying that the "regime" of the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, "does not deserve benefits". The lifting of visas with Kosovo has been opposed for years by politicians from Bosnia and Herzegovina, entities headed by President Milorad Dodik, who heads the governing Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD).

New blockades are looming after the latest speech by Cvijanovic, otherwise official of the SNSD, who has called the issue destructive to the vital interest of the Republika Srpska entity.

Where does Cvijanovic see the problem?

One of the three agreements on free movement in the Western Balkans, which were signed in November 2022 as part of the Berlin process, refers to freedom of movement only with IDs in the Western Balkans. While the other two agreements are for the recognition of higher education diplomas and for the recognition of the professional qualifications of doctors of medicine, doctors of dentistry and architects.

In the case of Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina, this also means the removal of the visa regime, which has burdened the residents of both countries for years.

However, politicians from Republika Srpska reject ratification, even though the former chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Zoran Tegeltija, who is a member of Dodik's party, was one of the signatories of that document in Berlin last year.

"In principle, I am for the freedom of movement of citizens and goods, but in these circumstances, Pristina cannot now be part of this agreement," Cvijanovi? declared on June 21 for the Radio and Television of the Republika Srpska (RTRS).

The veto was initiated after it was overvoted in the session of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, when it spoke against the conclusions on the approval of the agreement on freedom of movement with identity cards, on the recognition of university degrees and professional qualifications.

The conclusions for the approval of those agreements, which were agreed within the Berlin Process, were supported by Denis Beqirovi? and Zeljko Komši?, her colleagues in the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Meanwhile, Zheljka Cvijanovic's move was welcomed by the head of her party and the president of Republika Srpska, stressing that he is "responsible for protecting the positions of the RS and that the National Assembly will support him with a two-thirds majority ".

The Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina stipulates that a member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina can declare a decision of the Presidency, with which he does not agree, destructive to the vital interest of the subject for the territory from which he was elected.

In this case, the Constitution provides that the National Assembly of Republika Srpska initiates the veto and if it receives the support of the deputies, the conclusions of the Presidency will not have an effect.

In order for Zheljka Cvijanovi?'s veto initiative to "come to life", it must be supported by two-thirds of the representatives of the National Assembly of the RS, i.e. 56 out of a total of 83.

Is the Berlin Process Falling?

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Elmedin Konakovic, estimates for REL that if the National Assembly of Republika Srpska supports the veto, "the agreements of the Berlin Process will fall."

Konakovic claims that the governing coalition at the state level has previously reached an agreement on the adoption of two agreements, which refer to the recognition of professional qualifications and university degrees in the Western Balkans.

Support in principle for these two agreements was given at the session of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia on 19 April, when it was said that the third agreement, that on identity cards, would be the subject of a later political agreement.

According to current regulations, international agreements must be approved by the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and the Presidency of BiH, after which they are ratified by the Parliament of this state. "It is an agreement for all countries, not only for Kosovo. They [politicians from Republika Srpska] were ready to support two and then in the Presidency session there was a third. Will they react with a veto because of the revolt? "I don't know. This shows that conflicts and overvoting do not bring anything and we are taking five steps back," says Konakovic.

Otherwise, the Government at the state level in BiH consists of the SNSD, the Croatian Democratic Party of BiH (HDZ) and several parties gathered around the Social Democratic Party of Bosnia.

"In the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, we have completed our work, as well as the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Parliament must now ratify it. However, if the National Assembly of the RS rejects it, then the process is blocked" Konakovic emphasizes.

Agreements on the mutual recognition of identity cards, university degrees and professional qualifications were signed in November last year by Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Montenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Serbia. For implementation to begin, it is necessary for the documents to be ratified by the parliaments of each of the countries within 18 months.

So far, the agreements have been ratified by all countries except Bosnia and Herzegovina, while the work [on ratification of the agreement by the Parliament] in Montenegro is in the final stage, the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), a by the coordinators for signing the agreement.

"We hope that Bosnia and Herzegovina will soon ratify the agreements and thus show a common determination to overcome regional challenges. It's all about politics and in this case it's about the commitments that have been made and that they must be respected", said the general secretary of the RCC, Majlinda Bregu, for REL.

How is visa equipment made?

Bosnia and Herzegovina, apart from Serbia, is the only country in the Western Balkans that has not recognized Kosovo.

Recognition requires the consent of all three members of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and since 2008, when Kosovo declared independence, all members from Republika Srpska have opposed it.

According to the decision of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia from 2012, citizens of Kosovo cannot travel to Bosnia and Herzegovina as tourists. They are required to have a visa, which is not placed in the passport, but is issued on a special form "only in exceptional cases" at the Bosnian embassies in Skopje, Podgorica and Belgrade.

Due to Bosnia and Herzegovina's strict visa regime for citizens of Kosovo, in 2014, official Pristina countered with the same measures, imposing visas for citizens from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

"Getting a visa is a complex, expensive and time-consuming procedure, where approximately one in three people get a visa. It's about people, family reunification, even businessmen," says Bregu. The Balkan Barometer survey shows that 59 percent of businessmen in the Western Balkans believe that ID-only travel would be beneficial for their business, says the Regional Cooperation Council.

According to this survey, 67 percent of the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina believe that regional cooperation contributes to the improvement of the political, economic and security situation in the region.

When it comes to the recognition of academic qualifications, 6,000 applications were submitted in the region in 2022. The recognition of a university degree costs between 300 and 500 euros and the procedure takes several months./ CNA