EU-landen praten over kandidaten voor vertegenwoordiging in Bosnië-Herzegovina (en)
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS – EU member states have begun talks on who could be the next Special Representative of the bloc in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with five countries having declared official candidates for the job.
The UK, Greece, Estonia, Austria and Italy had put forward potential candidates by Monday (9 February), diplomatic sources told EUobserver, not excluding the possibility of more candidates emerging in the next days.
The UK has nominated its former ambassador to the UN, Sir Emyr Parry Jones; Greece – its ambassador to the US, Alexandros Mallias, while Italy has submitted two candidates – its former chief economist in the EU mission in Bosnia, Renzo Daviddi, and current Italian ambassador to Kosovo, Michael Louis Giffoni, according to media reports.
The name put forward by Austria is that of the country's current ambassador to Slovenia – and previously to Bosnia – Valentin Inzko.
In addition,, CVs from other member states – such as Germany and Romania – "have been circulating" as well, according to one EU diplomat.
Meanwhile, Slovenia denied earlier press reports that its former foreign minister Dimitrij Rupel was also among the contestants.
Miroslav Lajcak, the Slovak diplomat who had been occupying the double post of international High Representative and EU Special Representative (EUSR) in Bosnia since July 2007, stepped down two weeks ago after being appointed his country's foreign minister.
Once member states complete the list of candidates to replace him, it is to be submitted to EU high representative Javier Solana who is to make a final proposal to the Political and Security Committee (PSC) – a key EU foreign policy body.
The final candidate will then be endorsed by EU member states.
The candidate's name could be made public at the next meeting of EU foreign ministers on 23 February in Brussels.
Final approval by the Peace Implementation Council – the body regrouping all countries engaged in supervising the peace process in Bosnia – in March would mark the end of the process.
EU member states at the end of last year expressed their readiness to "step up" the EU role in Bosnia and Herzegovina and to work to achieve a "transition from the Office of the High Representative (OHR) to a stronger European Union presence."
However, Bosnia's slow pace of reforms could put in doubt the closure of the OHR (planned for June) and consequently the reinforcement of the EU's role.
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