Ondřej KOLÁŘ

What Ondřej KOLÁŘ has said (3)

• “Thank you very much. Um, I was visiting Taiwan last year. Um, we had a great program there. And, uh, one of my questions that I have is, how bold would it be if we called our representative, the EU representative, who is in Taipei, an ambassador? In sort of, in a way, to to show that we really mean our support to Taiwan.”
  Relations with Taiwan
• “36:15 – 14:39:40): Thank you very much, Chair. I'm afraid I will repeat your words. No, but thank you very much. I know I shouldn't sound pessimistic today, especially today given it's Saint Patrick's Day, but I'm afraid that presenting the 2025 Commission report on Bosnia and Herzegovina is not very cheerful. Although pessimistic may not be the right word, I try to be realistic as much as I can. Reading through the individual chapters, the phrases that are most frequently used in relation to Bosnia's reforms and reform efforts are "no progress made" or "very little progress made." Bosnia and Herzegovina state representatives cannot reach an agreement among themselves. They remain entangled and in discord over important internal matters. This approach of Bosnian officials risks undermining the country's development, resulting among others in a serious brain drain. A lot of Bosnian people flee the country and settle in the European Union. Threats of secession, poor engagement of civil society organizations in the decision-making process, threats on media, and overall instability. The country, at least in my view, has not overcome the Dayton provision and unfortunately heavily relies on both the OHR and under repeated extensions of the EUFOR mandate. Although it is fair to say that the OHR is being heavily criticized by many for reducing the country's sovereignty. The report will mainly focus on calling on Bosnian officials to work together for the good sake of the country and its soon accession to the EU, which is of course a challenge given the fact that even thirty years since the end of the war in the Balkans and in Bosnia and Herzegovina especially, the three constituent peoples and their representatives were not able to find effective compromises and work jointly together for the whole country. Unresolved issues need to be tackled such as the appointment of a chief negotiator for EU accession and for the adoption of the law on the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council and law on courts to begin formal accession negotiations. Bosnia not only needs to adopt reforms urgently but must also change the mindset regarding the anti-corruption measures, judicial independence, and support for civil society and free media. Bosnia and Herzegovina unfortunately remains a place for foreign hybrid interference, particularly from Russia and Iran, and the report highlights the need to strengthen Bosnia's democratic institutions and counter threats to stability. As of the enlargement and long period strategies, Bosnia and Herzegovina holds an important position within the Western Balkans and is a key element for the European Union's enlargement agenda. Its role is significant for strengthening stability, economic development, and cohesion across the European continent. The report should be voted in the committee on the eleventh of June. I will be, or I am very much looking forward to working with all of my colleagues and everybody who is interested on the final text. For the future, I hope that I could be a bit, or at least a bit more optimistic than I have been today. Thank you very much.”
  EU relations with Bosnia and Herzegovina
• “01:59 – 15:04:02): Thank you very much and thanks for all the contributions. I am happy that idealism has been put aside regarding Bosnia and Herzegovina because it is very much needed. Referring to what Helmut Brandstetter said, I think that a reset of the mindset of many politicians in Bosnia and Herzegovina is very much needed. They need to start thinking about the whole country, about the country as a whole, not only in terms of their ethnicity, which actually is, from my point of view, something that slows things down very rapidly. I think that the Balkans need to be united in the EU. We cannot afford to have a sort of an empty space on the map of Europe and Bosnia and Herzegovina is actually crucial in this because it's in the heart of Western Balkans. Condemning nationalism is a necessity. I think that radical nationalism and ethnic divisions and splits have never brought any good. So I would be very happy to work with all of you on anything that might lead to overcoming these problems that this country is facing. And when it comes to mediating, yes, I think that our role is definitely to mediate not only in Bosnia and Herzegovina but also in other countries that face the problems. The only question is if the politicians and representatives of Bosnia and Herzegovina are willing to participate in such a process that would mediate or have us as the mediators of the problems that they have. Because when I was referring to the OHR, it sometimes seems to me that in Bosnia and Herzegovina many politicians and officials who blame the OHR for being a sort of a protector from the EU also blame him for all the wrongs that they have committed themselves. Thank you very much.”
  EU relations with Bosnia and Herzegovina