Bosnia and Herzegovina is expected to answer the follow-up questions from the European Commission's Questionnaire by the October election or the end of the year, Head of the EU Delegation and EU Special Representative (EUSR) Lars-Gunnar Wigemark told reporters in Banja Luka on Thursday.

Addressing a press conference prior to the final meeting of the “Youth in political parties” initiative, Wigemark pointed out that numerous other issues would be drawing the attention in the post-election period in the country.

Bosnia received the European Commission's Questionnaire in December 2016, as a part of the regular accession procedure, after submitting a formal application for the EU membership in February the same year. It took longer than a year for the institutions to provide the answers, which were officially handed over to EC President Jean-Claude Juncker during his visit to Sarajevo in late February 2017. In June 2017, the Commission sent 655 follow-up questions to clarify the ambiguities from the answers the country initially provided.

Wigemarks said he could not speculate about the date Bosnia would be awarded the status of candidate, noting that this depends on the authorities and meeting of the set requirements.

The EU Delegation and the Office of the Council of Europe in Sarajevo launched an initiative “Youth in political parties” in April 2017, with an aim to open dialogue with young members of political parties from the entire country.

Wigemark said at the initiative opening it was an opportunity for young representatives of political parties in Bosnia to take a more active role in the EU integration process.