The Government of the Netherlands has published a document and forwarded it to the Dutch Parliament, which treats the matter of the enlargement of the European Union with special emphasis on the Western Balkans.

The document titled ‘Letter to Parliament regarding Cabinet appreciation of the 2023 expansion package and Growth Plan for the Western Balkans’ reads, among other things, that the Netherlands currently objects the opening of the accession talks with Bosnia and Herzegovina.

It said that the opening of the talks will get the support once BiH “achieves the necessary level of compliance with the European criteria for membership.” The Government of the Netherlands believes that only limited progress has been achieved in most of the 14 priorities with a setback in the segment of the freedom of expression.

The document also mentions secessionist efforts of Republika Srpska, the Bosnia Serb-majority entity, as serious problems, as well as the criminalisation of defamation and the adoption of a so-called law on foreign agents.