C 47/100
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
7.2.2023
Wednesday 6 July 2022
81.
Urges BiH to step up its efforts against cross-border crime, especially human and weapons trafficking and irregular border crossing, and recommends that BiH timely conclude a status agreement with the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) that would facilitate better protection and management of its borders; urges both the agency and BiH to ensure border management with full respect for fundamental rights;
Foreign policy and security
82.
Calls on all leaders of the region to promote stability and de-escalation, avoiding uncalled-for and inflammatory remarks, which furthermore have a detrimental effect on stability, the democratisation of the country and the ongoing reform process, and to strengthen good neighbourly relations and work on resolving ongoing bilateral issues; expresses its concern about the dangers of political destabilisation in BiH and the Western Balkans region following the recent Russian war of aggression against Ukraine;
83.
Welcomes BiH’s increasing alignment with the EU’s common foreign and security policy in votes condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine; regrets, however, that some political actors are blocking the implementation of sanctions against Russia and Belarus following the invasion of Ukraine; calls therefore on these actors in BiH to abide by the country’s international commitments and ensure that its national policies conform to the relevant Council decisions on restrictive measures related to the Russian invasion of Ukraine;
84.
Welcomes the decisions by the Council of Ministers of BiH to facilitate the entry and extend the length of stay for Ukrainian refugees;
85.
Warns of Russia’s continuing interest in destabilising the region and its European path; condemns Russia’s support for the RS entity’s separatist policies and remains concerned about the continuous alignment and friendly ties between prominent political actors in BiH and the Kremlin; urges all actors to swiftly and unambiguously distance themselves from Putin’s regime; is concerned by Russia’s plan to open a ‘humanitarian centre’ in Banja Luka, which could serve to camouflage military cooperation as civilian activities and calls on the BiH authorities to revoke any agreement to open it;
86.
Is highly concerned that the EU accession countries in the Western Balkans are being hit particularly hard by attacks in the form of foreign interference and disinformation campaigns stemming from Russia and China; is alarmed that Hungary and Serbia are helping China and Russia with their geopolitical objectives; is deeply concerned about the spread of disinformation about the Russian aggression against Ukraine; calls on the authorities to take action, in coordination with the EU, to fight disinformation and other hybrid threats; recommends convening dialogues with Western Balkan civil society and the private sector to coordinate anti-disinformation efforts in the region, including regional expertise; stresses the need for the EU to boost its proactive strategic communication; in this regard, calls on the Commission to build up the infrastructure required to counter disinformation threats, and on the EEAS to expand StratCom monitoring to focus on cross-border disinformation threats from Western Balkan countries and their neighbours;
87.
Urges the EU to take concrete steps to integrate the Western Balkans and BiH within a broader strategic and security context, also in view of the Russian aggression against Ukraine, disinformation and malign interference destabilising the country and region; underlines the need for the EU to boost assistance and technical expertise for BiH cybersecurity;
88.
Welcomes the European Council’s readiness to grant candidate country status to BiH, as mentioned in its conclusions of 23 June 2022, and takes note of the European Council’s invitation to the Commission to report without delay to the Council on the implementation of the 14 key priorities set out in its opinion, with special attention to those which constitute a substantial set of reforms in order for the European Council to revert to decide on the matter; underlines that the granting of candidate status could contribute to de-escalating nationalistic rhetoric, reduce ethnic divisions, inspire optimism and create the prospect of a better European future for BiH citizens; stresses the importance of a message of support and a credible accession perspective for BiH;