Bosnia is not ready to be an EU candidate country, at this moment, the leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party (ALDE), Hans van Baalen told N1 on Sunday, adding that if Bosnian and EU politicians start working on this issue, Bosnia could become a candidate country in the next two years.

“I am ready to defend this idea if all the questions are answered, and if we have a realistic perspective to have a functional state. I must say that Bosnia has not proved that it can work as a functional modern country,” the Dutch European Parliament member (EMP) van Baalen said.

Van Baalen, who is a member of the Dutch Liberal Party – the VVD, said that Bosnia must become an efficient state.

There are too many governments here and too many conflicts between them. Like other countries, you also must fight against corruption and illegal things like mafia activities, and you must genuinely build an efficient state. That is the kind of country that could become an EU member state,” he said, adding that “Bosnia is a European country and one day it could become an EU member state with its delegates in the European Parliament.”

He concluded that all the parties in the country should work towards having a good administration, which is vital for the EU accession.

 Van Baalen stayed in Sarajevo for the Our Party's congress, which took place on Sunday. Our Party is a member of the ALDE since 2016. The ALDE is a European political party gathering liberal, democratic and reformist parties and individuals who stand for the free market, European integrations and a united European market.