European Union (Definition of Treaties) (Stabilisation and Association Agreement) (Bosnia and Herzegovina) Order 2010

My Lords, the stabilisation and association agreement, or SAA, is an international agreement between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the European Union and its member states. This was signed on 16 June 2008. This treaty has not yet entered into force, but will do so once all 27 countries have ratified it. This order is a necessary step towards the UK’s ratification. The principal effect of the draft order is to ensure that the powers under Section 2 of the European Community Act 1972 would be available to give effect to any provisions of the agreement, and permit any expenditure arising from the SAA to be from the consolidated fund. Like many other countries in the region, Bosnia and Herzegovina has a troubled past and experienced terrible suffering during the conflict of the 1990s. Since then, Bosnia and Herzegovina has made significant progress. However, much more remains to be done to embed long-term stability and prosperity. We believe that the draw of EU integration will continue to be a crucial factor in motivating and enabling BiH political leaders to agree and implement the necessary reforms. Within Bosnia and Herzegovina, there is support from all three constituent peoples and the main political parties for the objective of EU membership. Our task today is to debate how this reform process can move forward. I should underline that the UK remains a strong supporter of the principle of EU enlargement, including the countries of the western Balkans. Enlargement has been one of the European Union’s biggest success stories, creating stability, security and prosperity across our continent. The prospect of EU membership was an important factor in supporting the peaceful transition to democracy in Greece, Spain, Portugal and central and eastern Europe. It is a vital tool in helping us to spread our values and freedoms across the continent. A larger EU gives us stronger influence in shaping global action to meet today’s challenges and helps business and our economy by providing access to a bigger market. Nevertheless, it is important that enlargement is based on conditionality—that a country may only join the EU once it has met all the criteria for membership and has undertaken the necessary reforms to do so. The implementation of the stabilisation and association agreement is an important step in the fulfilment of that conditionality. The SAA recognises Bosnia and Herzegovina as a potential candidate for the EU. It is not a reward; instead, it is an instrument to enable BiH to move forward. It sets out stages for Bosnia and Herzegovina’s progress towards eventual EU membership via a closer partnership with the EU, under the EU’s stabilisation and association process. A track record of SAA implementation is required before Bosnia and Herzegovina can achieve candidate status. Bosnia and Herzegovina’s SAA has now been ratified by 18 EU member states, as well as by the Bosnia and Herzegovina Parliament and the European Parliament. The order is important and I commend it to the Committee.