Meeting of the Committee on Foreign Affairs&nbsp;in the EP in Brussels. Vote on the Report on the 2016 Commission Report on Bosnia and Herzegovina and statement by Cristian Dan PREDA (EPP, RO). 59 Votes, 45 in favour, 11 against, 3 abstention. The report is adopted.

Committee on Foreign Affairs

Brussels

statement

meeting

EU - Bosnia and Herzegovina (T)

vote

PREDA, Cristian Dan (EPP, RO)

Report on the 2016 Commission Report on Bosnia and Herzegovina: extracts from the vote and statement by Cristian Dan PREDA (EPP, RO)

Chairman launching the vote on the report on Bosnia and Herzegovina

Chairman lunching the final e- Vote as amended

e-Vote results - Total voters 59; in favour 45; against 11; abstention 3 Adopted.

SOUNDBITE (Romanian), Cristian Dan PREDA (EPP, RO), rapporteur, Some people use the political principles in an equivocal manner, using it as an invitation to split politics by ethnicity, increasing pressure from a strictly ethnic procedure. The EP doesn't see the things in this way. We want to put forward the importance for every citizen to be included in the process of public deliberation and reforms the country is going through.

SOUNDBITE (Romanian), Cristian Dan PREDA (EPP, RO), Corruption is a big problem, and I had the occasion to say this to the leaders of the political parties in Bosnia. There is a need of strong institutions and those institutions are strong if the party&rsquo;s themselves are making the cleansing inside. They must not put on their lists, nor to support some corrupted people, people that want to mix-up the public and private interest.

SOUNDBITE (Romanian), Cristian Dan PREDA (EPP, RO), The message the EP is sending to Sarajevo is an encouraging message, willing to make improvements for society.

SOUNDBITE (Romanian), Cristian Dan PREDA (EPP, RO), Unfortunately , there are political tensions that exist in several places in Western Balkans. The most famous case is the one of the train coming from Serbia to Kosovo. In other places like Macedonia, there are also ethnic tensions. Montenegro as well is not better off, even if from the perspective of negotiations with the EU is the only one a bit more advanced.

SOUNDBITE (Romanian), Cristian Dan PREDA (EPP, RO) At the EP we discussed a few days ago about the potential explosive situation in this period in Western Balkans. It will be regrettable that in the candidate countries and in the potential candidates countries in this region to enter into a cycle of political violence. I&rsquo;ve seen for instance in Pristina that the opposition use frequently tear gas to block the debate. There are confrontations at the limit of explosion from the perspective of ethicizes politics . The EP of course is encouraging the dialogue, the construction by compromise of the governments. For instance now after the elections in Macedonia where we are waiting a government to be put in place. We wish of course to support those countries of former Yugoslavia as they are still called. But we cannot do that if the political elites of those countries are acting against the public interest of those main countries.