Bosnia’s priorities in its efforts to gain candidacy status in the EU are defined in a document the European Commission presented in May, and the country will prove that it is dedicated to its EU membership path by implementing the outlined reforms, an EU official told N1 on Tuesday.
“Granting a country the status of an EU candidate country is a prerogative of the EU Member States in the Council, deciding by unanimity, on the basis of the findings of the Commission's Opinion on the application for EU membership. It is therefore essential for BiH to demonstrate that EU-oriented reforms are pursued seriously in order for EU Member States to consider granting the status of a candidate country,” said N1’s source, an EU official in Brussels.
“The key priorities identified in the Opinion outline what BiH needs to do to get ready to open EU accession negotiations. This goes well beyond the mere focus on candidate status,” the source said.
The source reminded that in February 2018, in its Western Balkan Strategy, the European Commission noted that “with sustained effort and engagement, Bosnia and Herzegovina could become a candidate for accession”.
“The EU needs to see those sustained reform efforts done by BiH authorities, beyond formal commitments and declarations,” the source said.
