In Bosnia and Herzegovina, you have a crisis of governance, said in an exclusive interview for "Dnevni avaz" Ambassador Johann Sattler, Special Representative and Head of the European Union Delegation to B&H, talking about the migrant crisis that has escalated in recent weeks.

- You call this a migrant crisis, and I would call it a crisis of the administration and functionality of state structures in B&H. We are talking about some 1,700 people who were left homeless. Surely the state can find a solution. We are talking about a crisis of governance, unsatisfactory coordination of various structures. I am sorry that for the second time at the end of the year we have a bad picture that comes from B&H from Bihać and that area - says Sattler.

Reputational risk

According to him, the European Union still does not trust B&H institutions to entrust them with the management of the financial assistance they send to migrants.

- This whole story is a reputational risk for B&H, which is presented as a state that does not care, and that is not true. There are people with open hearts here, this is inadequate management and now we have to deal with it. Every life is valuable. When it comes to the funds that we have entrusted to international organizations, I would, believe me, prefer to provide it through line ministries, but it must become a system, as in other countries like Serbia. You have seen that both the leaders of the EU and the member states are looking for urgent action - adds Sattler.

Ambassador Sattler, these people want to go to the European Union.
Isn't it easier for you to make it possible for them and for the money you send to ensure their stay in B&H, where they want to leave, to be invested in their departure to where they started? 

- You must understand that B&H has its international obligations, it is not a question of whether I will do it, but a matter of international conventions. If the highest state bodies make a decision, and the decision of the Council of Ministers of B&H was for "Lipa" to be permanent, and "Bira" a temporary solution for three to four months, it should be implemented. This is a question of the rule of law. And again the question of the reputation of the state. I know they have political differences, but this is a matter of life and death. I really call on leading people to come up with a solution. What can be done? The first thing is the tents set up by the AFB&H and that is good, now we need to provide water and electricity. According to the decision of the Council of Ministers of B&H, in order for "Lipa" to become a permanent center, works need to be started. Many offered help, including EU members. And the third thing is a fairer distribution of migrants. This country is not made up of just two cantons that are now dealing with that crisis of the Una – Sana Canton and Sarajevo Canton.

Anger and resentment

Do you understand the local authorities of the Una – Sana Canton? They simply want to protect their citizens because everything becomes a security risk…

- Of course I understand the anger and resentment of the citizens of Una-Sana Canton. It is not fair that 90 percent of the burden of migrants is in only one canton. That is why I am talking about a fairer distribution of the burden and that is why I advocated the opening of smaller centers. Serbia has 25-30 migrant centers for about 50-200 people. That would be a good way for B&H as well.

Did you discuss this with the RS authorities and ask them to do so?

- Of course, we have regular communication with them and I will continue to emphasize that this is everyone's responsibility. It is unacceptable that 49 percent did not take care of any migrants. That is why I will insist on a fairer distribution.

B&H is still waiting for the first vaccines against the coronavirus, and the domestic authorities are terribly slow. The EU has announced that it will send part of the vaccines to help the Balkans. When and how many vaccines will arrive in B&H?

- Let me say about the coronavirus in B&H. Although the numbers seem a bit better, currently no one should be fooled, this is a very deceptive period and we must be careful and maintain measures to push through another three to four months that will be equally dangerous. When it comes to major measures, they were enacted in a timely and proper manner at the start of the pandemic. B&H has become part of the green transport corridors, EU public procurement procedures and we see that the system can work. As far as vaccines are concerned, the EU is one of the major donors to the Covax mechanism and through it vaccines will be provided to everyone, not just rich countries, but obviously somewhat more slowly. It is for this reason that the EC acted, the President of the EC said that the Balkan countries are our privileged partners and that we will provide millions of euros for the procurement of vaccines. Nobody knows the dynamics at this moment, it will depend on the amount of vaccines, which vaccine it will be, whether there will be more types, etc. These are all questions, but I believe that by spring at the latest we will have vaccines for the most vulnerable populations, people over the age of 65, medical workers and those working in nursing homes.

Dirty word

Following Biden's victory in the US presidential race, a new international initiative is expected to address key issues in B&H. What can we expect this year, is there a chance for something that would completely change the rules of the game?

- I am sure that 2021. could be the right year for B&H, having in mind the attention that is focused on cooperation with the Americans and with others on the ground. In life you always have opportunities coming and going. We have seen this in B&H in the past 25 years. I think they should be used. This 2021. is not an election year and it is time to address those difficult issues of functionality that we talked about at the beginning of the interview. Constitutional change is not a "dirty" word or process. All 27 EU member states had to go through changes and revisions of the legal system, including constitutional changes. This is the year to address these issues. I look forward to working with Americans as well as others on the field. We showed that cooperation in Mostar. It is not impossible to solve them. We must have engaged politicians, a spirit of compromise, but also a broader national debate, where we will hear from citizens and civil society what should be included in the reform package for 2021. Every citizen wants a new beginning, wants to see changes immediately.

You are talking about the reform package, does that mean that something is already being prepared for this year?

- Speaking of this year, things should happen before the next election cycle. There is no time to lose. Contacts are always there, but it cannot be just an international element and domestic politicians, but it must be as wide a population as possible, citizens, young people ... A huge number of young people are moving out and this is a trend that we must stop. These are difficult issues that we have to deal with.

Candidate status is questionable

Domestic politicians often say B&H can become an EU candidate by the middle of this year. Is that possible?

- Let me ask you. What do you think are the effects of the migration situation on that? EU member states will also assess the capacity to manage 8,000-9,000 migrants. I will be the first to advocate for candidate status, but we need to see work on 14 priorities. These issues have been there for two years, but there has been very little progress. Without that, there will be no mood, because you need a unanimous decision of all states.

The issue of a new High Representative was not considered

Ambassador, will we have a new High Representative soon?

- I am the EU representative in B&H and I am a member of the Peace Implementation Council, which is in charge of this issue. I can inform you that this issue has not come up for consideration. Maybe the best address is somewhere else, maybe in Berlin, for that question. But if we talk about Germany's role in B&H, we are witnessing that country's continued engagement and assistance in the region. Chancellor Angela Merkel has launched the Berlin Process, we will have a summit this year and currently, as we speak, Germany is engaged in helping B&H manage migration, it has a very constructive and important role.

Do you think Mr. Inzko should leave?

- I do not want to speculate about that out of respect for the current High Representative.

B&H will not be the last in line

Put yourself in the position of B&H citizens who see vaccination in Croatia and Serbia. People are disappointed, B&H is again the last in line and is waiting for some donations...

- B&H will not be the last in line, I assure you, thanks to the EU. If we are going to talk about Croatia, it is a member state and that is why you want to become a member of the EU, because it brings certain privileges. Vaccination in the EU is one of the nice stories, we got the best price, we provided vaccines for all 27 member states, there were not many of them, of course, and there is criticism everywhere, but the immunization of the population has begun.