Brussels, 21 November 2020
The National Federation of Croatian Americans organised a webinar on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the conclusion of the Dayton Peace Accords. Željana Zovko was invited as one of the key speakers next to Peter Galbraith, former US Ambassador to Croatia, Mate Granić, Croatia’s Foreign Minister in 1995, Luka Misetić, attorney with Squire Patton Boggs, who represented Ante Gotovina at the ICTY, Ed Joseph, Senior Fellow Foreign Policy Institute at John Hopkins SAIS and Dražen Barbarić, assistant professor at the University of Mostar.
On this day, exactly 25 years ago, the leaders of the three constituent communities of Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as Croatia, Serbia reached a peace agreement in Dayton, Ohio in the US. The Dayton Peace Accords, signed in Paris on 14 December 1995, ended the war in the Western Balkans and led to the composition of the federal state of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The aim of the webinar was to look back at the conclusion of the peace agreement and to discuss the lessons learned.
In her presentation, Zovko reasoned that today, the Dayton Peace Accords only exists in name and that it has been substantially changed through the back door starting some 20 years ago. This development has according to Zovko, especially affected the third constituent community. She calls to use this anniversary to map out a new future for the country and to integrate into the European Union within the shortest time possible. Zovko underlined that a document that could serve as inspiration for this political exercise is the 2014 report of the International Crisis Group on Bosnia and Herzegovina. Based on an analysis of lessons learned, the report offers five options for the post-Dayton era.
Zovko also stressed that another recent development that could affect Bosnia and Herzegovina is the outcome of the elections in the United States. As EPP shadow rapporteur for the US and member of the Parliamentary delegation to the US, she stressed that the new administration could lead to a recalibration of the US’ role in the Western Balkans.
Furthermore, Zovko reflected on the upcoming local elections in Mostar. The city has not held local elections since 2008. After a political agreement was reached in June on the implementation of a Constitutional Court’s decision of 2010, the Mostarian population will be able to elect their local representatives on 20 December.