Bosnia can always count on Germany’s support as relations between them are very friendly, but the country needs to meet a set of obligations which improve the lives of its citizens and that must start with finally forming Bosnia’s new government, German Ambassador Margret Uebber told the Prime Minister of one of Bosnia’s two semi-autonomous regions on Tuesday.

Ambassador Uebber said that there are few countries in the world which Germany cooperates with as strongly as it does with Bosnia and that the two states have a close relationship.

“You surely know that you can always enjoy support from the Federal Republic of Germany, but there are criteria which Bosnia and Herzegovina is obliged to meet, which include offering citizens a possibility for progress,” Uebber said.

The European Commission published in May a set of its proposals for Bosnia in order for the country to meet the conditions to become an EU candidate country. Those entail bringing Bosnia’s constitutional framework in line with European standards and ensuring its institutions are functional enough to manage to take over EU obligations.

The EC particularly stressed the need to improve the electoral framework in the country and the functioning of the judiciary, as well as the prevention and fight against corruption and organised crime, including money-laundering and terrorism.

“The first precondition for that is forming the governments at all levels, and the second it undertaking reforms,” she added.

Bosnia has not set up its new government since the October 2018 election due to bickering between the parties which won over the country’s path NATO toward membership.

“Germany is truly a friendly country to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Our country cooperates with Germany the most in every aspect and I hope we will continue to do so in the future,” said Prime Minister of the Federation (FBiH) entity, Fadil Novalic.

He informed the Ambassador of a set of social-economic reforms Bosnia’s lawmakers adopted recently for the period between 2019 and 2022, emphasising that the international community also expressed support for them. He also informed her of the importance of a set of fiscal law proposals the FBiH Government recently submitted to the parliament.