Within the project on constitutional reforms “Constitutional Reforms in BiH – NGO Perspective”, FTC continued its activities regarding making pressure on the authorities that is aimed to implement constitutional reforms in BiH.

Constitutional reforms are not condition for accession of BiH into the European Union. However, all conditions placed by the European Union inevitably request the constitutional reforms in BiH in order to continue the accession process.
Therefore, TV show about constitutional changes was realised with Radio-Television Mostar. This radio and TV station was selected because its signal covers almost the whole territory of Herzegovina. It means that it also covers the part of Herzegovina that belongs to Republic of Srpska (Trebinje, Gacko, etc.) and western Herzegovina, which belongs to Federation BiH (Livno, Tomislavgrad, etc.).
The speakers in the TV show were the members of the expert team Prof. Slavo Kukic (professor of sociology at the University of (Western) Mostar) and Mr Vehid Sehic, a lawyer (FTC). The guests in the TV show were Prof. Nurko Pobric (professor of the constitutional law at the University of Mostar) and Prof. Bozo Zepic (professor of the constitutional law at the University of (Western) Mostar). In addition, students of the senior year of Mostar University Law School actively participated in the TV show as audience.

In the introductory part of the show, Mr Vehid Sehic, the president of FTC, spoke about the purpose and aims of the FTC’s project. After that, TV presenter of RTV Mostar divided the show into three topics/issues and participants of the TV show gave their reactions to them.
The first question was related to the current Constitution (the Dayton Constitution) as the condition for accession to the European Union. All participants in the show had basically the same opinion, which is that the changes to the Constitution are not the condition for accession of BiH to the European Union, but that fulfilment of the conditions set by the EU inevitably requests the change of the Bosnian Constitution. In other words, changes to the Constitution are not formal or legal condition of the European Union in the accession process, but the process itself is impossible to implement without changes and additions to the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The second topic, i.e. question, was related to “the April Package”, i.e. is it really dead. The participants of the TV show had different opinions. Prof. Zepic believes that “the April Package” is only cosmetic change without essential solution of the basic problem in BiH, which is equality of the constitutional nations. Without new territorial organisation of BiH there cannot be full equality of constitutive nations in BiH. Division of BiH into two entities is the basic obstacle of the constituency of Croats, so it is inadmissible to have a state with three constitutive nations that is territorially divided only in two entities. Therefore, Prof. Zepic advocates constitutional changes that would deal also with territorial structure of BiH as the basic precondition for normalisation of the relations and continuation of living together in BiH.
The other participants agreed that “the April Package” was a good foundation for further processes of the constitutional reforms and, if there was political will and if “the April Package was adopted three years ago, there would have been much better legal and political foundation for building of a better social and political atmosphere for continuation of the process of constitutional changes and fulfilment of the EU conditions.
The last question was related to the possibility of a new conflict in BiH and imposing of a new “Dayton Constitution” by the international community. All participants of the TV show had the same opinion that they neither believe that a new conflict is possible nor that the international community will impose the new constitution of BiH. However, they also agreed that without the international community, the current political leadership of BiH and social and political atmosphere as it is now will not and cannot lead to the significant continuation of the process of the constitutional reforms. Due to these reasons, all participants, including students, believe that the pressure of the international community is needed for overcoming of the existing crisis in BiH, implementation of the constitutional reforms, and strengthening of the state as negotiator with the European Union in its process of accession to the EU.

The analysis of the TV show and opinions of the participants (including students as audience) showed that they are still divided. Maximal request of the leading nationalistic parties are still very active and they block, probably by purpose, the whole process of the constitutional reforms. Due to this reason, the involvement of the United States and international community in general in this process is absolutely necessary in order to move the political situation in the country from the dead point.

FTC believes that the TV show that was realised was very good since it succeeded to gather well-known professors, the experts of the constitutional law, who have different opinions regarding constitutional changes in BiH. In addition, the importance of the TV show is also reflected in the attitudes presented by Prof. Kukic and Mr Sehic who emphasised the necessity of the constitutional changes in the process of accession to the EU as well as the necessity for more active role of the international community in this process since there is no political will among current political leaders.