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Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has fundamentally changed the
European security context and raised a number of questions about the
future of the Euro-Atlantic integration of the Western Balkans.
Although surrounded by the EU and NATO member countries, the Western
Balkans is only partially integrated into the Euro-Atlantic
political and security structures. The ambiguous EU policy pur-sued
over the last two decades has contributed to the regression of this
region and its turn towards other partners. Russsia’s infil-tration
into the developments in the region and its influence on Serbia and
(one part of) Bosnia and Herzegovina has opened the question as to
where the Western Balkans actually belongs.
These new circumstances have put the Western Balkans back on the
European agenda.
The EU’s enlargement policy is currently being adjusted to the new
geopolitical environment, and a new ac-cession process is being
developed.
So far, despite numerous statements and initiatives related to the
Western Balkans, the West (primarily the EU) has not offered re-al
support, protection and a concrete perspective for the region’s
future.
Accession to the EU is the geopolitical inevitability of the entire
Western Balkans – given Russia’s constant efforts to destabilize it.
A more efficient EU policy is not possible as long as the EU
coun-tries keep balancing between the value principles on which the
EU is based and the ‘unity’ embodied in its consensual
decision-making principle. This approach has disastrous consequences
for the Western Balkans.
Bearing in mind a very fluid situation in the Western Balkans as
well as speculation about the possibility of Putin’s opening a
“second front” in the Balkans, the fears of citizens in all our
countries that the situation in the region could be dramatically
worsened are justi-fied. We should not forget that, insofar as the
Europe-an continent is concerned, the Balkans as a whole –
par-ticularly its non-integrated part – is the most susceptible to
Rus-sia’s influence and the escalation is un-derway. By preventing
such devastating influence, the one-time visionary acceptance of
“unprepared” Bulgaria and Romania into the EU has played a de-cisive
role.
Due to all the reasons mentioned above, we, the undersigned, expect
the following from the EU as well as the United States:
1. To eliminate any possibility of changing Balkan borders;
2. To ensure that the future and functionality of Bosnia and
Herzegovina do not depend on Belgrade’s policy, which has been
integrating/annexing B&H’s Republic of Srpska (RS) entity at all
levels (economic, cultural, educational and informational) without
hindrance for two decades. In addition to combating corruption and
radically nationalist policies, the EU and the United States should
encourage the coalescence of educational and cultural space in order
to build Bosnian and Herzegovinian identity apart from its
particular features. Only cultural awareness and educa-tion, as the
fundamental backbone of society, can guarantee inte-gration and
solidarity within Bosnia and Herzegovina.
3. Croatia’s advocacy for a new election law, which would only
contribute to the further ethnic disintegration of Bosnia and
Herzegovina, is unacceptable, and it is high time that the EU and
the United States clearly condemn and prevent such policy options.
Granting candidate status to Bosnia and Herzegovina would send a
clear message to Belgrade, Zagreb and Moscow that the EU and the
United States stand behind the sovereignty and territorial
in-tegrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
4. Due to its reliance on Russia, Serbia keeps Kosovo in a state of
frozen conflict. Without the mutual recognition of Serbia and
Ko-sovo, the region has no European perspective. As the first step
Kosovo should be granted visa liberalization for which the
condi-tions have long been created;
5. When it comes to Montenegro, it is necessary to strongly and
effectively support its European integration process, which is also
the basic proclaimed goal of Montenegro’s minority government. It is
also necessary to prevent interference in its internal affairs,
which primarily originates from the governing structures in Ser-bia,
with great help from the Serbian Orthodox Church in Monte-negro,
Serbian media and security ser-vices, as well as Russia’s direct and
indirect influence;
5. It is necessary to unblock the situation regarding North
Mace-donia’s accession negotiations. It is unacceptable that North
Mac-edonia, which has met all EU requirements for candidate status,
is still on hold due to Bulgaria’s blackmailing and destructive
atti-tude;
6. It is necessary to help Albania to start negotiation process with
the Commission. In the opposite, other tendencies and poli-cies are
encouraged – like in all other Western Balkan countries;
7. It must be made clear that the Open Balkans Initiative cannot be
an alternative to EU membership. Chancellor Scholz announced the
revival of the Berlin process which, coupled with increased control
by Berlin and Brussels, opens up prospects for more in-tensive
regional cooperation on which the EU insists, as the basis for
continuing the European path for all countries in the region, based
on their individual merits and achievements;
8. To continue without compromise with strengthening the securi-ty
and legal mechanisms in all the countries of the Western Bal-kans in
the fight against corruption and organized crime within the state
apparatus, corpo-rations and society in whole.
Bearing all this in mind, Europe and the United States must boost
their military, political and economic involvement in the region in
order to prevent the further malignant influence of non-Balkan and
non-European factors. At the same time, it is necessary to maintain
an active relationship with the pro-European opposition and
political structures in all countries in the region as well as with
the authentic civil society in order to confirm and strengthen the
support for the Euro-Atlantic orientation and future of the Western
Balkans.
Dr. Prof. Ivo Komšić, sociologist, Bosnia-Herzegovina
Dr. Vesna Pusić, former Minister of Foreign and European Affairs,
Croatia
Dr. Prof. Edina Bećirević, University, Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina
Edita Tahiri, former negotiator Kosova-Serbia, Kosova
Momcilo Radulovic, president of European Movement, Montenegro
Dr. Prof. Zarko Korać, psyhologist, Serbia
Azem Vllasi, lawyer, Kosova
Sonja Biserko, president of the Helsinki Committee, Serbia
Petar Todorov, historian, North Macedonia
Tamara Nikčević, journalist, Montenegro
Dr. Boris Varga, journalist, Serbia
Shkelzen Maliqi, writer, Kosova
Dr. Prof Husnija Kamberović, historian, Bosnia-Herzegovina
Dr. Prof. Dubravka Stojanović, historian, Serbia
Dr. Prof. Dinko Gruhonjić, University in Novi Sad, Serbia
Dr. Milivoj Bešlin, istorian, Serbia
Miodrag Vlahović, former Ambassador, president of the Montene-grin
Helsinki Committee, Montenegro
Dr. Aleksandra Bosnić-Djurić, culturologist, Serbia
Dr. Prof. Nikola Samardžić, historian, Serbia
Dragan Banjac, journalist, Serbia
Boško Jakšić, journalist, Serbia
Ylber Hysa, historian, Kosova
Adil Kulenović,journalist, Krug 99, Bosnia-Herzegovina
Senad Pećanin, advokat, Bosnia-HerzegovinaProf. Ejup Ganić, izvršni
direktor Sarajevo Schol of Science and Technology, BiH
Sladjan Tomić, journalist, Bosnia-Herzegovina
Izabela Kisić, executive director of Helsinki Committee for Human
Rights in Serbia, Srbija
Akad. Prof. Rusmir Mahmutčehajić, president of the International
Forum Bosnia, Bosnia-Herzegovina
Jelena Krstić, political scientist, Serbia
Andro Martinović, film director, Montenegro
Balša Božović, president of the Regional Academy for Develop-ment of
Democracy, Serbia
Rade Radovanović, journalist, Serbia
Nerzuk Ćurak, University Professor, Bosnia-Herzegovina
Srećko Djukić, Ambassador, Serbia
Dušan Mijić, enterpreuner, Serbia
Aleksandra Jerkov, founder of the Regional Academy for Devel-opment
of Democracy, Serbia
Dino Mustafić, theater director, Bosnia-Herzegovina
Mr.sci. Memnuna Zvizdić, Regional Women Lobby, Bosnia-Herzegovina
Daliborka Uljarević, Executive Director of the Center for Civic
Ed-ucation, Montenegro
Stefica Galic, Editor of Tacno.net Portal, Bosnia-Herzegovina
Milan Jovanoović, president of the Forum for Security and
Democ-racy, Serbia
Prof. dr Duško Radosavljević, Faculty for Legal and Business
Studies, Serbia
Prof dr. Mehmed Slezović, painter and art theorist, Serbia
Tanja Petovar, lawyer, Serbia
Srdjan Sušnica, Master’s degree of cultural and religious studies,
lawyer, Bosnia-Herzegovina
Zlatko Lagumdžija, former Foreign Minister, Bosnia-Herzegovina
Nada Drobnjak, Regional Women Lobby, Montenegro
Zoran Vuletić, president of Civic Democratic Forum, Serbia
Tanja Šuković, journalist, Monteneggro
Darko Šukovic, journalist, Montenegro
Ivana Šundić Mihovilović, journalist, Serbia
Davor Gjenero, politologist, Croatia
Andrej Nikolaidis, writer, Montenegro
Tinka Đuranović, sculptor, Montenegro
Draško Đuranović, Editor of Pobjeda, Montenegro
Đorđe Šćepović,writer, Montenegro
Milorad Pustahija, journalist, Montenegro
Rajko Todorović Todor, painter, Montenegro
Boro Kontić, journalist and writer, Bosnia-Herzegovina
Rade Bojović,lawyer, Montenegro
Miodrag Strugar, communicator, Montenegro
Danilo Burzan, journalist and writer, Montenegro
Majda Šahman Zaimović, University Professor, Montenegro
Kaćuša Krsmanović, journalst, Montenegro
Vladimir Šibalić, Lawyer, Montenegro
Janko Ljumović, professor FDU, Montenegro
Andrej Nedović, economist, Montenegro
Nada Bukilić, playright, Montenegro
Jelena Đurović, journalist, Montenegro
Momčilo Zeković, artist, Montenegro
Ljubomir Filipovic, political scientist, Montenegro
Danilo Marunović, film director, Montenegro
Aleksandar Saša Zeković,activist, Montenegro
Šeki Radončić, writer and journalist, Montenegro
Miodrag Živković, lawyer, Montenegro
Izudin Gusmirović, economist, Montenegro
Irina Peckova, economist, North Macedonia
Ines Sabalić, journalist, Croatia
Raif Dizdarević, former Foreign Minister of SFRY, Bosnia-Herzegovina
Lula Mikielj, activist, Serbia
Pavel Domonji, political scientist, Serbia
Edin Omerčić, historian, Bosnia-Herzegovina
Andrea Lešić, Literature and Culture Theorist, Univerzitet u
Sara-jevu, Bosna-Herzegovina
Zilka Spahić Šiljak, University Professor of Gender Studies,
Bos-nia-Herzegovina
Aleksandar Obradović, antropologist, Director of Philopolitics
As-sociation, Srbija
Prof.dr. Ivan Obradović, Belgrade University, Serbia
Nebojša Kaludjerovi, Ambassador, Montenegro
Prof,dr.Amila Buturović, Toronto York University, Canada
Slobodan Beljanski, lawywr, Serbia
Dr Adnan Prekić-Historian, Montenegro
Jakob Finci, writer, Bosnia-Herzegovina
Nenad Prokić, playwright, Serbia
Prof.dr Šerbo Rastoder, Academic,Montenegro University, Monte-negro
Prof. Dr. Edin Šarčević, Law School Leipzig, Germany
Srdjan Dvornik, , translator, consultatnt, Croatia
Xhezair Dashi, journalist Albanian Post, Albania
Prof. Asim Mujkić, University Sarajevo, Bosna-Herzegovina
Žarko Papić, director IBHI (Nezavisni biro za humanitarna pitan-ja),
Bosnia-Herzegovina
Zlatoje Martinov, writer and publicist, Serbia
Mirsada Čolaković, Bosnia-Herzegovina
Reuf Bajrović, Vice President of the US-Europe Alliance in
Wash-ington, DC, USA
Prof. Senadin Lavić, Faculty of Political Science,
Bosnia-Herzegovina
Ljilja Spasić, Executive Director, Civic Actions, Serbia
Staša Zajević, Women in Black
Vera Ranković, journalist, Serbiamen in Black, Serbia
Isidora Farley, UK
Bashkim Shehu, writer, Albania
Akademik Slavo Kukić, sociologist, Bosnia-Herzegovina
Prof. dr. Fahira Fejzić-Čengić,Faculty of Political Science,
Bosnia-Herzegovina
Lirim Dullovi, journalist, North Macedonia
Amina Rizvanbegović Džuvić; Bošnjački Institut, Bosnia-Herzegovina
Arben Retkoceri, journalist, North Macedonia
Darko Mrvos, entrepreneur, Serbia
Svetlana Cenic, economist, Bosnia-Herzegovina
Zlatko Dizdarević, journalist, Bosnia-Herzegovina
Amor Mašović, MP Federation BH, Bosnia-Herzegovina
Slobodan Dukić, journalist, Serbia
Jesenko Alić, president Fondation for Truth, Justice and
Reconiliation, Bosnia-Herzegovina
Filip David, writer, Serbia
Aleksandar Sekulocić, lawyer, Serbia
Vladimir Milčin, theater directo, North Macedonia
Nataša Micić, Former Speaker of the Serbian Assembly, Serbia Srbija
Firdus Hamzagic, Damar glasilo Bošnjaka iz Sandžaka, Bosna I
Hercegovina
Eric Gordy, profesor na University College London (UC), UK
Amina Rizvanbegović Džuvić, Fondation Adil Zulfikarpašić,
Bosna-Herzegovina
Dr. Albert Rakipi, Albanian Institute for International Studies
(AIIS), Chairman, Albania
Alba Cela, Albanian Institute for International Studies (AIIS),
Executive Director, Albania
Dr. Ledion Krisafi, Tirana Centre for Journalism Excellence (TCJE),
Executive Director, Albania
Remzi Lani, Albanian Media Institute, Executive Director, Albania
Artan Hajdari, Lawyear, Haxhia & Hajdari Attorneys at Law, Albania
Bojan Tončić, journalist, Serbia
Gordana Sobol, member of the Regional Women Lobby (RWL), Croatia
Mirza Huntić, Bosnia-Herzegovina
Srdjan Blagovčanin, Predsjedavajući Upravnog odbora Transparency
International Bosna i Hercegovina
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