The EU Commission recommends EU accession talks with Bosnia and Herzegovina, noting progress but acknowledging challenges, pending EU leaders’ approval.
On Tuesday, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen declared her executive’s decision this morning in an address to the European Parliament and said: “Since we gave candidate status, Bosnia and Herzegovina has taken amazing steps forward. More progress has been accomplished in just over a year than in over a decade.”
“Of course, more progress is required to join our Union. But the country is demonstrating that it can deliver on the membership standards, and on its citizens’ aspiration to be part of our family,” von der Leyen stated.
“The future of Bosnia and Herzegovina lies in our Union.”
The Commission’s proposal will need to be backed by all 27 EU heads, who are set to determine in a summit next week in Brussels. Bosnia and Herzegovina – which was given EU candidate status in December 2022 – is one of five Western Balkan nations recognized as official nominees to join the EU. Until today, it was the only one of those nations yet to enter formal accession negotiations.
Deeply rooted ethnic divisions and delays in constitutional, judicial, and electoral reforms have stopped the country from catching up with its neighbors on the way to EU membership.
In its annual review of EU candidate countries’ advancement towards accession released last October, the Commission stated it ought to see additional constitutional and electoral reforms and more suitable alignment with the EU’s foreign policy before Bosnia’s proposal could be advanced.
Specifically, the EU executive was affected by how the Republika Srpska, one of the country’s two regional entities made up of mainly ethnic Serbs, had supported a neutral perspective on Russia’s full-scale aggression on Ukraine. Just last month, Republika Srpska’s President Milorad Dodik carried his fourth conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin since Russian troops raided Ukraine.
Yet, von der Leyen confirmed on Tuesday that “Bosnia and Herzegovina is now fully aligned with EU foreign and security policy, which is essential in these times of geopolitical turmoil.”
Many EU governments, branded the so-called ‘friends of Bosnia’, have called for Bosnia’s path to EU membership to be reached at the same pace as Ukraine’s. They include Austria, Croatia, Italy, Hungary, and Slovenia.
Russia’s attack has injected a sense of revived energy into the European Union’s future growth, with the integration of Western Balkan nations seen by many as vital to bolstering the bloc’s geopolitical relevancy.
Reacting to the announcement on Tuesday, Austria’s foreign minister Alexander Schallenberg expressed the opening of discussions with Bosnia and Herzegovina is a “strong signal” for the EU’s “integration of the Western Balkans.” Should EU executives greenlight the Commission’s proposal, Bosnia and Herzegovina can move to the next phase of talks.
However, these talks would keep just the start of a long and often difficult process of negotiations, which can carry years before a country evolves into a fully-fledged member.
The Commission is also anticipated to present a draft negotiating framework for Ukraine and Moldova’s accession this week. That framework will also need the approval of EU leaders.
The European Commission’s recommendation for accession talks with Bosnia and Herzegovina highlights the country’s progress and the challenges ahead. While alignment with EU standards is apparent, ethnic divisions and reforms remain essential. As talks proceed, the path to EU membership for Bosnia and Herzegovina represents a pivotal juncture in European geopolitics. It reflects the Union’s ongoing evolution and strategic imperatives in the region.
