Decision to keep the Western Balkan countries, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, in status quo could complicate and even stop the process of integration of this part of Europe, according to Srdjan Blagovcanin, chair of the board of directors at the Transparency International Bosnia and Herzegovina.

He said that research show a decrease in support to the EU enlargement among the Western Balkan residents.

“Credibility is being tested and that will be an aggravating factor in the forthcoming period given that the political elites in the region are first observing mood prior to undertaking painful reforms,” said Blagovcanin, speaking at the ‘EU and Western Balkans – between mistrust and common interests’ conference in the northern city Banja Luka a day after the European Council delayed granting Bosnia and Herzegovina the candidate status.

Neven Andjelic, the international relations expert, noted that the EU leaders conveyed a message that maybe not all the conditions previously set before the countries, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, will have to be met, which gave hope to the politicians that their countries would be given the candidate status even without meeting the criteria.

“If we talk about the status of democracy in Moldova and Ukraine, Moldovan is somewhere at the level of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Ukrainian is below that level according to the research I published in the book at the beginning of the year. Ukrainian is at the level of Russia and Turkey, it is of course now the victim of an invasion and for that reason granting candidate status is I think a mistake because the processes were not followed,” said Andjelic.