Bosnia and Herzegovina is finalising the answers to follow-up questions from the European Commission’s Questionnaire in order for the Commission to provide a positive opinion and recommendation for granting Bosnia the status of a candidate country, said Deputy Foreign Minister Josip Brkic.

Addressing a meeting of political directors of the Western Balkan countries in Brussels on Tuesday, Brkic said Bosnia was paying a particular attention to the political dialogue with the European Union (EU) and both with its institutions and its member states.

According to a press statement issued by Bosnia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Brkic expressed the country’s commitment to the intensifying of cooperation between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the EU, reminding that Bosnia harmonised a number of its statements with the statements of the EU.

The EU’s support to the development of the economy, the peace strengthening, stability and security, as well as the principle of valuing the progress on grounds of individual achievements and implementation of essential reforms are of significant importance to the countries of the region, Brkic said.

Bosnia and Herzegovina formally applied for the EU membership in February 2016 and was to provide the answers to the 3,242 questions of the EC's Questionnaire within six months. However, it took the country a year to complete the process, because of deep political and ethnic divisions.

In February this year, Bosnia's senior officials handed over the answers to the Questionnaire to the EC President Jean-Claude Juncker and the country is now expecting the Commission's opinion to its EU membership application.

The Commission warned this week that the deadline to deliver the answers expired at the end of September and that the country has not provided the answers.