Milorad Dodik, the Serb member of Bosnia's three-member Presidency, said that there will be no accelerated procedure of accession to the European Union neither for Ukraine nor for Bosnia and Herzegovina.

According to him, this is what European enlargement commissioner Oliver Varhelyi told him during a meeting on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomatic Forum on Friday.

He also confirmed that the EU's official insisted on the functionality in Bosnia and Herzegovina, so the EU can resume its development projects in the country.

“It was clearly said that if they were forced it would not be only the punishment for Republika Srpska but halt of the assistance for Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is a reason for us to sit down and clear some things in BiH,” Dodik said after the meeting.

Varhelyi also confirmed he talked to Dodik and Bosniak Presidency member Sefik Dzaferovic, and that he asked for “return to State institutions to ensure their full functioning.”

He also underlined the need of holding “fair, free and inclusive elections” in October this year, as scheduled.

In the margins of @AntalyaDF I met #BosniaHerzegovina Presidency members Šefik Džaferović and Milorad Dodik. Underlined need for 1) return to State instituons to ensure their full functioning and 2) that fair, free and inclusive elections must take place in October, as scheduled. pic.twitter.com/1GhR4PwvVS

— Oliver Varhelyi (@OliverVarhelyi) March 11, 2022

The representatives of Bosnia's Serb entity Republika Srpska have been boycotting the work of the state institutions since July last year, after former international peace envoy Valentin Inzko imposed law changes banning genocide denial and glorifying of war criminals.

The halt of the work of the state institutions greatly hindered reform processes in the country as well as the country's EU path.

But, Dodik said following the meeting with Varhelyi it was impossible for the Republika Srpska representatives to return “with their heads bent” and to make decisions “the way that Presidency member Sefik Dzaferovic wished.”

“That won't happen even though they managed to deceive a part of the opposition in Republika Srpska for some of their projects,” Dodik stressed.

He added that Varhelyi's calls were fair and that without functionality in BiH, the European Commission will have a problem with implementing plans and projects.”