Belgium, (Brussels Morning Newspaper) EU ministers agreed to grant Bosnia and Herzegovina candidate status as part of the bloc’s push for enlargement in the Western Balkans.
EU leaders are to approve the move at the summit in Brussels on Thursday, according to DW reporting on Tuesday.
Other candidate countries include Albania, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine, with Moldova and Ukraine joining the group in June.
Czech Minister of EU Affairs Mikuláš Bek noted on Tuesday that the bloc’s move sends “a strong message of its commitment to EU enlargement.”
The EU put its enlargement on hold after Croatia’s accession in 2013, but outbreak of the war in Ukraine prompted the bloc to reconsider its plans for countries in Eastern Europe.
After the war broke out, EU officials started stressing the importance of reviving talks with Western Balkan countries to maintain security in Europe.
BiH submitted its formal application roughly six years ago, with the European Commission proposing to grant the country candidate status in October this year.
Only the beginning
The status will bring BiH one step closer to EU membership, but the accession path is full of obstacles and requires implementation of reforms to align regulations and standards with those of the EU.
The EU is concerned with the political situation in BiH, noting that ethnic divisions remain strong approximately three decades after the Yugoslav Wars.
BiH’s political system is largely dysfunctional as it has failed to provide a framework for political development in the last three decades or so.
In order to move closer to EU membership, Sarajevo will have to make progress on reforms in 14 areas as detailed by the EC.
Olivér Várhelyi, European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, pointed out in October that BiH will have to reform its judiciary, tackle corruption and implement electoral and constitutional changes.
Denis Bećirović, Bosniak member of the tripartite BiH Presidency, called on the EU last week to send “a positive message” to the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina.He stressed that granting BiH candidate status was long overdue and concluded that the move would only mark “the beginning of the real work.”
