BiH Presidency Chairman Sefik Dzaferovic discussed the security and political situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday, especially in light of the unilateral moves of the country’s Republika Srpska (RS) entity which, according to a statement from his office, “threaten the Dayton Peace Agreement and 27 years of its implementation.”

It said that they discussed the implications of the Russian aggression against Ukraine for the Western Balkans, especially for Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as Russian influence within the country.

Dzaferovic informed the EC President about the “activities of actors within BiH who, as part of Russian influence, are currently obstructing the implementation of EU sanctions against Russia, which BiH has joined at the highest level.”

He urged the EC to grant candidate status to Bosnia and Herzegovina, arguing that this would be extremely important for stabilising the situation in BiH.

“He stressed that Bosnia and Herzegovina does not want to avoid its obligations under the Opinion of the European Commission, but wants the same treatment as other countries in terms of obtaining candidate status under the accelerated procedure due to geopolitical and security situation, especially because Bosnia and Herzegovina is under strong Russian influence,” the statement said.

The two also spoke about the implementation of limited constitutional and electoral reforms in BiH, in line with the EC's request that BiH implements rulings of the European Court of Human Rights.