The heads of state and government of the European Union have cleared the way for accession negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina. The country has its place in the “European family,” explained EU Council President Michel.
The EU summit agreed to start accession negotiations with the Western Balkan state Bosnia and Herzegovina. EU Council President Charles Michel announced this on Platform X. The country belongs to the European family, he wrote.
However, the first so-called accession conference will only be organized once Bosnia and Herzegovina has implemented reform requirements that have not yet been met. This includes, among other things, the rule of law in the country and the fight against corruption and organized crime. “Now the hard work must continue,” commented Michel.
EU Commission sees progress
The approval had already been expressed at the EU summit in Brussels. Not only Germany and Austria, but also the Netherlands, which is usually skeptical when it comes to enlargement, agreed to the EU Commission’s recommendation. The EU Commission had supported the start of talks with Bosnia and Herzegovina because the country had recently made significant progress in domestic political reforms after years of standstill.
In particular, the conflict with the Serbian republic has caused tension in the multi-ethnic state for years and prevented reforms. The EU had already offered Bosnia and Herzegovina the prospect of joining in 2003, and the country officially submitted an application in 2016. Admission to the group of candidate countries then took place in 2022.
Austria in particular took action
The reason for the inclusion was also the concern that the Balkan country with around 3.2 million inhabitants could otherwise orientate itself towards Russia or China. States such as Austria in particular had recently pushed for Bosnia and Herzegovina to be given the prospect of progress in the accession process. It is unclear how long it will take from the start of accession talks to EU accession.