The European Commission warned Bosnia and Herzegovina on Friday that the unresolved situation regarding the hundreds of migrants stranded in Bosnia’s northwest without adequate accommodation could have a negative impact on the country’s aspirations to join the European Union.

Lead Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the European External Action Service, Peter Stano, said the situation with the migrants at the Lipa tent camp is “unacceptable” and urged Bosnian authorities to urgently solve the crisis.

“The inability of the authorities to implement decisions and fulfill their obligations negatively affects the image of Bosnia and Herzegovina internationally and could also affect the country's European aspirations,” Stano said.

He reminded that EU High Representative Josep Borrell spoke to the Chairman of Bosnia’s tripartite Presidency, Milorad Dodik, on Monday and reminded him of the country’s international obligations and its responsibilities stemming from its aspirations to join the EU and “made it clear that there would be consequences if Bosnia Herzegovina doesn’t meet those demands.”

Borrell also criticised the conditions in the Lipa camp and Bosnia’s overall failure to manage the migrant crisis, he added.

According to the EU’s estimates, there are some 1,700 migrant currently staying in Bosnia’s northwestern Una-Sana Canton (USK) without adequate shelter from the harsh winter weather conditions. Some 900 of them are stranded in the Lipa camp which was destroyed in a fire in December.

The EU has sent a total of 13.8 million euros in humanitarian aid for Bosnia to accommodate asylum seekers since 2018.