Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-12-12-Speech-3-211"
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"en.20011212.6.3-211"2
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".
The Council has already drawn the Honourable Member’s attention, in its answer to oral question H-0689 during the October session, to the fact that the return of displaced people was part of a whole raft of conditions imposed by the European Union as part of the stabilisation and association process, and the countries of the region subscribed to these conditions at the Zagreb Summit.
The Council's report assessing the progress achieved by the countries of the region towards the conditions for European integration, which was approved on 11 June 2001, stated that the process of the return of refugees and displaced persons to Bosnia-Herzegovina should be speeded up and that the measures to create the proper conditions to enable people to return under the correct circumstances, in accordance with the Dayton-Paris agreement, should be strengthened.
It is, first and foremost, the responsibility of the local and national authorities to take the necessary measures. The European Union will certainly use the monitoring process to follow this issue and, where applicable, to assess whether, on the one hand, the progress made in respecting the conditions and, on the other hand, the level of relations established and the level of technical and economic assistance are still appropriate.
The 1995 Dayton-Paris Peace agreement, which brought an end to the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina, established the post of High Representative who is responsible for monitoring the implementation of this agreement, amongst other things. The current post-holder, Mr Wolfgang Petric, has not previously hesitated to dismiss local leaders from their duties when it turned out that these leaders were opposed to implementing the peace agreement, including Annex VII, which provides for the return of refugees and displaced persons. He did so in accordance with the powers granted him by the Ministerial Conference of the Council implementing the Bonn peace accord in December 1997. On several occasions, the Council strongly supported the efforts made by Mr Petric to fulfil his mandate.
Regarding the material support that the European Union is providing to assist the return and resettlement of these people, this question is primarily a matter for the Commission, which manages Community assistance. However, the Council understands that, since 1998, in line with the recommendations of the High Representative’s Office and the Return and Reconstruction working group, increasing funds have been granted to support the return of minority groups to Republika Srpska. This area should also continue to occupy its rightful and important position within the framework of Community assistance provided under the CARDS 2000-2006 programme, Article 2 of which explicitly mentions aid for the return of refugees and displaced persons.
I can assure you, as we near the end of six months of holding the presidency, that the Council and its various members attach extreme importance to the issue of the return and reintegration of refugees in Bosnia-Herzegovina, but also in other areas of the Balkans where this issue unfortunately persists. The tense situation appears to be gradually easing and the number of people returning to and resettling in the area will increase. Of course, the same amount will not return to each area, but there is no escaping the fact that numbers are on the increase. We shall continue to attach great importance to this issue and this item is on the agenda of all the meetings where it can be discussed."@en1
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