[artinfo] European DISCRIMINATION of BOSNIAKS as of 2010

[Andreas Broeckmann]

Date: Wed, 22 Jul 2009 10:28:17 +0200

Outrageous DISCRIMINATION of BOSNIAKS in new VISA REGIME (mobility)
for SOUTH EAST EUROPE! As of 2010 they will remain only nationality of
former Socialist Federative Republic of 
Yugoslavia with rigid VISA regime for EU.

CALL FOR SIGNATURES European Commission divides South Eastern Europe

We note with great concern the current policy for South Eastern Europe
of the European Commission. The visa policy for the successor states
of the former Yugoslavia risks to create two classes of citizens in
South Eastern Europe, based on ethnicity.

We welcome, that visa-free travel should be granted to citizens of
Montenegro, Macedonia and Serbia as of 1 January 2010. Equal rights
will, for example, be refused to Bosnia and Herzegovina. The European
Commission ignores that Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia are almost
at the same level with regard to the introduction of bio-metric
passports and a variety of legislative acts agreed on the visa
liberalisation road map. The arguments which serve to justify the
Commission recommendation are factually 
unconvincing and politically irresponsible.

The draft recommendation on visa liberalisation will increase tensions
within the fragile post-war societies as the plans of the Commission
will formalise ethnic divisions and provide them with dubious
legitimacy. Only a part of the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina will
profit from the new travel regime. Bosnian Serbs and Serbs from Kosovo
travel visa free in the EU thanks to their second passport issued by
the Republic of Serbia as of 1 January 2010. Bosnian Croats have
already enjoyed visa-free travel to the EU for a couple of years
thanks to their Croatian passports. Restrictions thus remain in place
for the Bosniak people of Bosnia and Herzegovina. De facto, ethnic
criteria will decide on whether a citizen is able to travel freely to the EU.

These days, 14 years ago, more than 8,000 Muslim boys and men were
killed around Srebrenica. It is evidence of the EU's poor political
judgement that Bosniak survivors and relatives of the killed will be
disadvantaged in comparison to the hundreds of suspected perpetrators
who committed crimes in Srebrenica and who continue to evade justice.

German post-war history reminds us how important the freedom to travel
has been for the peaceful development of a society. With the change of
the travel laws in the GDR on 9 November 1989 the wall came down. The
East and the West of Europe were able reunite. People in South Eastern
Europe have the same right to freedom of travel. A region still
haunted by nationalism needs freedom of exchange of ideas and opinions
and also the right to travel. It is not freedom that creates
instability, but the suppression of freedom.

The guiding vision of the visa liberalisation policy of the European
Union is to bring South Eastern Europe closer to the EU and to promote
European reconciliation and cooperation. In the next weeks, the
European Commission, the European Council and the European Parliament
have the choice between a visa policy that is uniting Europe or one
that separates people on the basis of their ethnicity.

13 July 2009

V.i.S.d.P
Tobias Bütow, Hagenauer Str. 8, 10435 Berlin, Germany,
southeastern.europe at gmx.de
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Signatoriesr:

Christian Schwarz-Schilling, Hoher Repräsentant a.D., München, Germany
Marieluise Beck, MdB, Berlin, Bündis90/Die Grünen, Germany
Franziska Brantner, MEP, (Greens/EFA), Brussels
Doris Pack, MEP, (EPP), Brussels
Tilman Zülch, Gesellschaft für bedrohte Völker, Göttingen, Germany
Rebecca Harms, MEP, (Chair Greens/EFA), Brussels
Dany Cohn-Bendit, MEP, (Chair Greens/EFA), Brussels
Reinhard Bütikofer, MEP (Bureau Greens/EFA), Brussels
Rüdiger Ratsch-Heitmann, Schüler Helfen Leben, Berlin/ Pristina/Sarajevo
Ulrike Lunacek, MEP, (Greens/EFA), Brussels
Hermann Hardt, Flüchtlingsrat Hamburg e.V.
Heide Rühle, MEP, (Greens/EFA), Brussels
Sven Giegold, MEP, (Greens/EFA), Brussels
Peter Matjasic, Secretary General, Young European Federalists, Brussels
Bart Staes, MEP, (Greens/EFA), Brussels
Helene Flautre, MEP (Greens/EFA), Brussels
Michael Cramer, MEP (Greens/EFA), Brussels
Werner Schulz, MEP, (Greens/EFA), Brussels
Raul i Romeva, MEP, (Greens/EFA), Brussels
Dr. Damir Arsenijevic, Tuzla University, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Ulrike Baur, Journalist and Filmmaker, Heidelberg, Deutschland
Prof. Dr. Johan Behrens, Universität Halle/Saale, Germany.
Dr. Carl Bethke, Universität Leipzig, Germany
Amira Bieber, Forschungsgruppe Bosnien, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Dr. Benjamin Bieber, Forschungsgruppe Bosnien, Frankfurt, Germany.
Bärbel Bohley, Berlin
Tobias Bütow, Schwarzkopf-Stiftung Junges Europa, Berlin, Germany.
Jasna Causevic, Gesellschaft für bedrohte Völker e.V., Göttingen, Germany
Tobias Heider, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany.
Majda Idrizbegovic, European University Institute, Florence, Italy
PD Dr. Ernst Köhler, Universität Konstanz, Germany.
Peter Matjasic, Young European Federalists
Armina Omerika, Universität Erfurt, Germany
Erich Rathfelder, Journalist, die tageszeitung
Oliver Rolofs, Hauptmann d.R., Germany.
Damir Saracevic, ZZI, Linz, Austria
Beate Seel, taz, Ressortleitung Ausland, Berlin, Germany
Antje Heider-Rottwilm, Dr. Martin Heider, Brücke-HafenCity, Hamburg Germany
Michael Schmitt, European Parliament, Brussels
Aida Vehabovic, Schüler Helfen Leben, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Hercegovina
Walter Veirs, Regional Director, Charles Steward Mott Foundation, Great Britain

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BESIDES THE POPULATION GROUPS OF BOSNIAKS AND THE ALBANIANS MENTIONED
IN THE TEXT OF THE PETITION, THE NEW EU VISA REGULATION IS
DISCRIMINATING AGAINST MEMBERS OF ALL NON-SERB AND NON-CROAT ETHNIC
MINORITIES IN THE KOSOVO AND IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA, AS WELL AS
AGAINST ALL THOSE BOSNIANS AND HERZEGOVINIANS WHO CHOSE NOT TO DECLARE
THEMSELVES MEMBERS OF A PARTICULAR ETHNICITY. THUS, IT CONTRIBUTES TO
THE STRENGTHENING OF THE SOCIAL AND INSTITUTIONAL MARGINALIZATION TO
WHICH THEY ARE ALREADY EXPOSED.

WE ASK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND YOUR SIGNATURE. 
YOU CAN SIGN THE ONLINE PETITION UNDER:

www.balkangoeseurope.eu

THE WEBSITE IS CURRENTLY ONLY IN GERMAN AND 
ENGLISH, TRANSLATIONS INTO OTHER LANGUAGES ARE TO 
FOLLOW SOON.

PLEASE FORWARD THIS INFORMATION AND INVITE YOUR 
FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES TO JOIN THE GROUP AND/OR 
SIGN THE PETITION.

email: southeastern.europe at gmx.de
facebook: http://www.facebook.com/reqs.php#/group.php?gid=103145124316