Glue

The BBC are reporting that Baroness Ashton says the hope of EU membership is the 'glue' that is holding Bosnia and Herzegovina together. Far be it from me to disagree, I merely want to underline her statement that the EU needs to 'reach beyond the political leaders, much more into where the people are and explain to them the benefits.'

In our experience there often seems to be a huge disconnect between the political posturing that gets reported as life as it is lived by the majority here. Many people we've spoken with laugh at the prospect of EU membership; perhaps they dare not hope. I once heard someone say that by the time Bosnia and Herzegovina gained entry all the other countries will have left!

Given the tangled political situation in the country it is understandable that people seem reluctant to get their hopes up. There may be benefits - freedom of travel within the EU zone would be a huge one for Bosnian passport holders - but perhaps the EU should be careful of promising what it may not deliver. Even a cursory reading of the country's recent history will highlight how damaging that can be. We can but hope the glue in question does not come unstuck.

Comments

Lifting those visa restrictions would be huge. Hope it happens this year.

Quite a few people have told me that BiH will never enter the EU because their politicians have to much to lose personally....

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