The public discussion “The Upgrade of the Bosnian Constitution Would Enable Faster European Integration” was held in Banja Luka on February 14, 2009, in the “Bosna” Hotel, with the assistance of the Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Banja Luka.

Mr Vehid Sehic, the President of the Forum of Tuzla Citizens was a moderator, while the speakers were Prof. Mile Dmicic from the Law School in Banja Luka; Mr Sahbaz Djihanovic, a lawyer and Prof. Slavo Kukic from the University of Mostar.

In his introductory speech, Mr Djihanovic presented the attitudes of the working group:
- The constitutional reform in BiH should be done by additions to the Constitution, since there is no necessary consensus of the political parties that participate in the state Parliament for passing of new Constitution;
- The additions should be in line with legal regulation of the current situation (harmonisation of the articles about Armed Forces, judicial institutions, etc.);
- The Constitution should be harmonised with the European Convention on Human rights and Fundamental Freedoms and other international acts on human rights that became obligatory for BiH. This is also needed for fulfilment of the conditions for the European Union association process;
- Local communities as the basic units of the local self-government should be regulated and defined by the Constitution.

The professor of the constitutional law in Banja Luka, Prof. Dmicic, presented his attitudes related to the reform of the Constitution in BiH:
- Constitutional reform in BiH is absolutely unnecessary. He believes that the Constitution of BiH, i.e. the Dayton Agreement, is good enough and flexible for current situation in BiH, so it does not need any changes.
- The problems related to the Constitution of BiH, which are there since the Peace Agreement was signed, are the product of failure to implement it.
- The new Constitution should be passed only when both political and economic conditions are created.

The opinions of some of the participants:
Mr Dragan Cavic, the former President of Serbian Democratic Party, now the President of newly established Democratic Party:
- He supports the attitude that the Dayton Constitution is not being implemented, which creates continual crisis in the society.
- The constitutional reforms are the top topic in the last ten years, especially before general elections, which draws the voters.
- The Constitution of BiH should be changed only in the part where the consensus of political forces exists, and these are articles and harmonisation with international acts on human rights. Any pushing of changes related to territorial structure of BiH, in his opinion, is absolutely impossible.
- The crisis that is allegedly created by the Constitution of BiH, is basically the product of the crisis in Federation of BiH due to unequal and unsolved position of two constitutive nations in this entity.
- Creation of united, civil state of BiH, with existence of three constitutive nations in BiH, Mr Cavic finds absurd and impossible neither now nor in some distant future.
The representative of Czech national minority, Mr Stevo Havreljuk:
- The upcoming constitutional reforms should and must include naming of the national minorities that live in BiH. The national minorities must be enabled through the election process, through special way of voting, to elect their representatives into the state institutions.

The general attitude of the participants related to previous and future meetings in Mostar of three political leaders (Dodik, Tihic and Covic) is that their meetings are politically incorrect since three political parties that they represent do not have majority in Parliament to implement agreed constitutional changes. The meetings of these political leaders are basically just personal promotion of these leaders, without true wish for real agreement and without realistic possibilities to come to any kind of agreement.

The journalists of BHT1 - the Banja Luka Centre, RTRS and Nezavisne novine were present at the public discussion and informed the public about the event.