Why is the EU not sanctioning politicians in the Western Balkans?

Calls for sanctions have been repeated recently, as the United States imposed new sanctions on Bosnia and Herzegovina Serb leader Milorad Dodik, and other individuals suspected of involvement in corruption or posing a risk of the peace and stability of the country and jeopardize the achievements of international engagement so far.

Also, in December 2021, the US sanctioned several people in northern Kosovo, while in May of the same year, the former president of Albania, Sali Berisha, was declared “non grata” (undesirable) by Washington official.

All these US sanctions are welcomed at the EU headquarters in Brussels. But in none of these cases has the European bloc joined Washington in imposing sanctions. Brussels said that “the EU supports every step that helps in the fight against corruption and crime in the Western Balkans region, which poses the most serious challenge for the future of the region.”

But when asked why the EU does not sanction responsible politicians in the region, as the administration of US President Joe Biden is doing, Brussels has not given a clear answer.

Ana Pisonero, spokeswoman for the European Commission for Enlargement, recalled that “the EU has a number of instruments, including the possibility of sanctions, but their use must be approved by a decision of the Council of the EU by consensus of all member states ”.

The European Union has a framework at its disposal since 2011, under which it can impose sanctions on those politicians, private individuals or organizations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which it believes play a negative role in the development of democracy, peace and stability in the country. , as well as endanger sovereignty and territorial integrity or violate the values ​​on which the Dayton Agreement is based.

Such EU justifications for the eventual imposition of sanctions are similar to those invoked by the US administration in the case of Dodik’s sanctions.

But the EU, instead of sanctions, continues to demand “an immediate solution to the political crisis” and “immediate cessation of actions that endanger the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina.”

To the question of why the EU is not imposing similar sanctions as the US has done, and through which it could increase its role and influence in the region, there are various answers in Brussels.

The most common answer is that “the EU has its own mechanisms and will decide for itself when it is time to use them.” Those circles that express themselves in this way think that dialogue should still be enabled and that this crisis be overcome through dialogue and the sanctioning of persons who have a key role in these efforts, could jeopardize those efforts themselves, since, the persons of sanctioned, can not be part of the reform talks in that country.

Another reason mentioned is that in case of sanctions against political structures there may be consequences for citizens, as these sanctions may slow down the use of European Union financial assistance, which aims primarily to help citizens.

In addition to the need for consensus of the 27 member states, the adoption of sanctions by the EU is a time-consuming process, therefore, such sanctions at this time seem unrealistic.

“The United States has a State Department that makes decisions, we have 27 member states. “Therefore we do not have the same opportunities to act with the same speed,” an EU diplomat told Radio Free Europe.

A few weeks ago, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said publicly that the EU should use the opportunity to sanction the Serb leader of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Milorad Dodik. However, there was no agreement from all member states in the Council. Hungary has been the only country whose officials have publicly spoken out against these sanctions.

But diplomats have also mentioned Slovenia and Croatia as states which “do not believe that sanctions are a solution at the moment”. France has also reportedly not been in favor of imposing sanctions.

Croatian officials have said that “dialogue should be facilitated to find a solution that guarantees equal representation for the three constituent nations and ensures the unity, territorial integrity and sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina.” But the officials of this state have not indicated whether or not they support the sanctions against Dodik.

France has held the six-month presidency of the EU since January 1, and during the bloc’s leadership of Paris, it is expected that the necessary preparations will be made for sanctions to be imposed when the EU considers that there is no other option but sanctions.

Until then, the possibility of some member states imposing individual sanctions is not ruled out. Such a possibility has been warned by analyst Toby Vogel, an expert on the EU and the Western Balkans.

“EU countries can also impose their own sanctions, individual sanctions. I see no reason why Germany and Austria should expect the others. “I can act on my own and I believe that this would be a very important symbolic step, in the case of Germany, while in the case of Austria it is also practical for Dodik and some of his collaborators,” Vogel told Radio Free Europe.

However, EU diplomats do not believe that there will be individual sanctions because, in their view, that would acknowledge the EU’s weakness in taking a unique stance rather than increase its power to influence the region. of the Western Balkans. / REL

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