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SVETLANA JOVANOVSKA, AUGUSTIN PALOKAJ AND ZELJKO PANTELIC
05.11.2010 @ 09:29 CET
The European Commission's latest progress reports on Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo and Macedonia have revealed wide variation between these neighbouring Balkan states and mixed progress towards EU accession requirements.
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Poor governance
The governance of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is one of the most complex problems facing the Balkan region, according to the European Commission's latest progress report on the country.
05.11.2010 @ 09:29 CET
The European Commission's latest progress reports on Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo and Macedonia have revealed wide variation between these neighbouring Balkan states and mixed progress towards EU accession requirements.
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Poor governance
The governance of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is one of the most complex problems facing the Balkan region, according to the European Commission's latest progress report on the country.
"The lack of a shared vision by political leaders on the direction of the country is blocking key EU-related reforms and impeding further progress towards the EU," says the report.
Among countries discussed in the commission's 'Enlargement Strategy,' the chapter on Bosnia is probably the bleakest. Only areas related to visa liberalisation are judged favourably by the Brussels-based body which expresses hope that visa requirements will soon be lifted.
In all other sectors, however, the authors register only "small ... limited" or "no progress. In the diplomat's dictionary this means "fail."
Despite an assessment made by the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) that recent general elections in BiH met international standards, the commission criticises nationalistic rhetoric dominating the campaign.
"Elections were held once again with ethnicity and residency based limitation to suffrage rights due to provisions established by the Dayton/Paris Peace Agreement," the report says. "During the pre-election period, Republika Srpska frequently challenged the territorial integrity of the country. Furthermore, statements by Republika Srpska's political leadership denying the gravity of war-time massacres involving the civilian population have continued."
"The country has made very little progress towards meeting the requirements for the closure of the OHR (Office of High Representative). Primary among these are the apportionment of property between the state and the other levels of government, the defence property issue and fulfilling the obligation of the Brcko Final Award," the authors write. "Overarching all these issues is the need for a stable and constructive political environment in the country."
The commission considers the functioning of governmental institutions at different levels to be disturbed by fragmented, uncoordinated policy-making, with poor coordination between parliament, the council of ministers and other entities. Furthermore, public administration suffers from political pressure and nepotism.
The report notes that BiH's economy experienced a moderate upswing in 2010. "The recovery is mainly driven by external demand. Unemployment remained at very high levels. The fiscal situation worsened significantly as public finances came under severe stress due to both declining revenues and high spending commitments. The fiscal situation is difficult, especially in the Federation (Bosniak's/Croat's entity). Budgets are still not self-sustaining and the quality of public finances remains weak."
Croatia: Praise for anti-corruption and competition policy
Compared to its hefty critique of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the commission's assessment of Croatia is much more encouraging. The country made "steady progress" towards meeting the remaining criteria needed to conclude the accession talks that began five years ago. However, the commission does not give a target date for accession.
"Croatia has improved its ability to take on the obligations of membership," says the report. "Preparations for the meeting of EU requirements have continued to progress well and there is a good degree of alignment with EU rules in most sectors."
The commission expects further improvements in the judiciary and on fundamental rights. With regards to competition policy, "Croatia has made significant progress", the paper says, but shipyard restructuring will have to be completed before accession talks can take off.
Although it recognises the "good progress" Croatia has made in its fight against corruption, the commission maintains the need to establish a track record on investigations, prosecutions and convictions of high-level cases. It is expected that, until the conclusion of accession talks, the commission will send regular reports on the monitoring of the fulfilment of remaining benchmarks.
According to the paper, Croatia meets the political criteria for EU admission and continues to be a functioning market economy.
Kosovo: Weak judiciary and lack of media freedom
Kosovo is reported to have made progress on meeting political criteria and decentralisation has improved. Even though there has been some progress towards eliminating corruption and organised crime, Kosovo continues to suffer from these problems.
The commission has mainly expressed disappointment about the state of Kosovo's judicial system and the lack of media freedom – the judiciary remains weak and the appointment of judges is politically influenced.
The latest progress report says that the rule of law in Kosovo is of "serious concern" and that public administration reform remains a major challenge. It recognises that Kosovo's government has co-operated with the EU rule of law mission Eulex over the investigation of high-level corruption cases but warns that more has to be done, particularly in witness-protection programmes.
The lack of media freedom is another key criticism. "Freedom of expression is still not guaranteed in practice. The independence and impartiality of the public broadcasters need strengthening. Journalists continue to receive threats in response to their reporting. They also face difficulties in accessing official documents," the report says.
The commission has welcomed the establishment of the Kosovar Ministry for European integration and asks for it to be strengthened. Regarding the possibility of starting visa liberalisation talks, the paper just notes: "Kosovo adopted a law on readmission, set up efforts on reintegration of repatriated persons, thus paving the way for visa liberalisation dialogue."
Macedonia: Unsteady progress and paralysed by naming row
Macedonia fulfils the political criteria for EU membership but has made "uneven" progress with reforms during the last year, the commission report on the country concludes. In 2009, Macedonia had been praised for its reforms, prompting Brussels to recommend the start of accession talks with the EU.
Negotiations were then blocked by Greece because of the unresolved name dispute between the two countries. This year, the commission is more critical but does not revoke last year's opinion on the start of accession talks.
The commission says that a solution for the naming issue remains essential if the country is to continue smoothly on its way towards EU membership. The seven bilateral meetings between the Macedonian and Greek prime ministers over the course of the last few months are described as "positive steps". But there is also a warning for Macedonia to avoid "actions and statements which could negatively impact on good neighbourly relations."
Although the political criteria have been fulfilled, the commission points out that "further efforts are needed in most areas related to the political criteria." The authors are particularly concerned about the "independence of the judiciary, reform of public administration and freedom of expression in the media. Political dialogue needs to be strengthened."
For the first time, Brussels sees freedom of expression in danger in Macedonia, with media that remain divided along ethnic and political lines. Even though the report assesses the area in general as well protected, it notes that intimidation of journalists is of concern and that "little progress is made in ensuring transparent, independent and diverse media."
The report notes only limited improvement in the Macedonian judiciary and raises concerns about its independence and impartiality.
Public administration is deemed another problematic area. Even if some relevant laws have been adopted, the administration's transparency, professionalism and independence remain doubtful. "There has been undue political interference in recruitment and promotions at all levels," the report states.
The Macedonian economy has suffered little from the worldwide crisis since its financial sector is hardly exposed to toxic international assets. However, the commission notes the country's very high unemployment rate (over 30 percent), particularly among young people.
It points to Macedonia's institutional weaknesses in the economic sector and recalls that "deficiencies in the rule of law continue to have a negative bearing on the business climate."
waz.euobserver.com
http://waz.euobserver.com/887/31205
Among countries discussed in the commission's 'Enlargement Strategy,' the chapter on Bosnia is probably the bleakest. Only areas related to visa liberalisation are judged favourably by the Brussels-based body which expresses hope that visa requirements will soon be lifted.
In all other sectors, however, the authors register only "small ... limited" or "no progress. In the diplomat's dictionary this means "fail."
Despite an assessment made by the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) that recent general elections in BiH met international standards, the commission criticises nationalistic rhetoric dominating the campaign.
"Elections were held once again with ethnicity and residency based limitation to suffrage rights due to provisions established by the Dayton/Paris Peace Agreement," the report says. "During the pre-election period, Republika Srpska frequently challenged the territorial integrity of the country. Furthermore, statements by Republika Srpska's political leadership denying the gravity of war-time massacres involving the civilian population have continued."
"The country has made very little progress towards meeting the requirements for the closure of the OHR (Office of High Representative). Primary among these are the apportionment of property between the state and the other levels of government, the defence property issue and fulfilling the obligation of the Brcko Final Award," the authors write. "Overarching all these issues is the need for a stable and constructive political environment in the country."
The commission considers the functioning of governmental institutions at different levels to be disturbed by fragmented, uncoordinated policy-making, with poor coordination between parliament, the council of ministers and other entities. Furthermore, public administration suffers from political pressure and nepotism.
The report notes that BiH's economy experienced a moderate upswing in 2010. "The recovery is mainly driven by external demand. Unemployment remained at very high levels. The fiscal situation worsened significantly as public finances came under severe stress due to both declining revenues and high spending commitments. The fiscal situation is difficult, especially in the Federation (Bosniak's/Croat's entity). Budgets are still not self-sustaining and the quality of public finances remains weak."
Croatia: Praise for anti-corruption and competition policy
Compared to its hefty critique of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the commission's assessment of Croatia is much more encouraging. The country made "steady progress" towards meeting the remaining criteria needed to conclude the accession talks that began five years ago. However, the commission does not give a target date for accession.
"Croatia has improved its ability to take on the obligations of membership," says the report. "Preparations for the meeting of EU requirements have continued to progress well and there is a good degree of alignment with EU rules in most sectors."
The commission expects further improvements in the judiciary and on fundamental rights. With regards to competition policy, "Croatia has made significant progress", the paper says, but shipyard restructuring will have to be completed before accession talks can take off.
Although it recognises the "good progress" Croatia has made in its fight against corruption, the commission maintains the need to establish a track record on investigations, prosecutions and convictions of high-level cases. It is expected that, until the conclusion of accession talks, the commission will send regular reports on the monitoring of the fulfilment of remaining benchmarks.
According to the paper, Croatia meets the political criteria for EU admission and continues to be a functioning market economy.
Kosovo: Weak judiciary and lack of media freedom
Kosovo is reported to have made progress on meeting political criteria and decentralisation has improved. Even though there has been some progress towards eliminating corruption and organised crime, Kosovo continues to suffer from these problems.
The commission has mainly expressed disappointment about the state of Kosovo's judicial system and the lack of media freedom – the judiciary remains weak and the appointment of judges is politically influenced.
The latest progress report says that the rule of law in Kosovo is of "serious concern" and that public administration reform remains a major challenge. It recognises that Kosovo's government has co-operated with the EU rule of law mission Eulex over the investigation of high-level corruption cases but warns that more has to be done, particularly in witness-protection programmes.
The lack of media freedom is another key criticism. "Freedom of expression is still not guaranteed in practice. The independence and impartiality of the public broadcasters need strengthening. Journalists continue to receive threats in response to their reporting. They also face difficulties in accessing official documents," the report says.
The commission has welcomed the establishment of the Kosovar Ministry for European integration and asks for it to be strengthened. Regarding the possibility of starting visa liberalisation talks, the paper just notes: "Kosovo adopted a law on readmission, set up efforts on reintegration of repatriated persons, thus paving the way for visa liberalisation dialogue."
Macedonia: Unsteady progress and paralysed by naming row
Macedonia fulfils the political criteria for EU membership but has made "uneven" progress with reforms during the last year, the commission report on the country concludes. In 2009, Macedonia had been praised for its reforms, prompting Brussels to recommend the start of accession talks with the EU.
Negotiations were then blocked by Greece because of the unresolved name dispute between the two countries. This year, the commission is more critical but does not revoke last year's opinion on the start of accession talks.
The commission says that a solution for the naming issue remains essential if the country is to continue smoothly on its way towards EU membership. The seven bilateral meetings between the Macedonian and Greek prime ministers over the course of the last few months are described as "positive steps". But there is also a warning for Macedonia to avoid "actions and statements which could negatively impact on good neighbourly relations."
Although the political criteria have been fulfilled, the commission points out that "further efforts are needed in most areas related to the political criteria." The authors are particularly concerned about the "independence of the judiciary, reform of public administration and freedom of expression in the media. Political dialogue needs to be strengthened."
For the first time, Brussels sees freedom of expression in danger in Macedonia, with media that remain divided along ethnic and political lines. Even though the report assesses the area in general as well protected, it notes that intimidation of journalists is of concern and that "little progress is made in ensuring transparent, independent and diverse media."
The report notes only limited improvement in the Macedonian judiciary and raises concerns about its independence and impartiality.
Public administration is deemed another problematic area. Even if some relevant laws have been adopted, the administration's transparency, professionalism and independence remain doubtful. "There has been undue political interference in recruitment and promotions at all levels," the report states.
The Macedonian economy has suffered little from the worldwide crisis since its financial sector is hardly exposed to toxic international assets. However, the commission notes the country's very high unemployment rate (over 30 percent), particularly among young people.
It points to Macedonia's institutional weaknesses in the economic sector and recalls that "deficiencies in the rule of law continue to have a negative bearing on the business climate."
waz.euobserver.com
http://waz.euobserver.com/887/31205
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