Finland is ready to support the proposal to grant Bosnia and Herzegovina EU candidate status, provided that this implies the country's progress in implementing key reforms defined by the European Commission, a press release by the Government of Finland said.

The EU General Affairs Council (GAC) will meet in Brussels on Tuesday 13 December, and topics on the agenda will include preparations for the December European Council, transparency and targeting of political advertising, the Commission’s enlargement package and the annual rule of law dialogue. Finland will be represented by the Minister for European Affairs and Ownership Steering Tytti Tuppurainen.

According to the press release, the General Affairs Council is also expected to adopt conclusions on the Commission’s annual enlargement package.
“Enlargement policy must contin00ue to be based on rigorous but fair conditionality and fulfilment of all membership criteria. Partners must commit to the EU’s values and align themselves to the Union's Common Foreign and Security Poli0cy. The Commission’s proposal to grant the status of EU candidate country to Bosnia and Herzegovina may also be on the agenda. Finland can support the proposal to grant candidate status to Bosnia and Herzegovina, provided that it is linked to the need for progress in ke0y reforms as proposed by the Commission”, it said.

It also said that the GAC will discuss the draft conclusions for the European Council meeting on 15 December 2022, where the European Council will discuss Ukraine and Russia, economic and energy issues, security and defence, and the Southern Neighbourhood.

“Finland considers it important that the EU continue its strong, effective and united response to Russia’s military attacks in Ukraine. Finland also supports the Commission’s proposal to grant EUR 18 billion in macro-financial assistance to Ukraine in 2023. Finland considers it important to address problems with the energy market quickly at the EU level and is open to exploring different options for reducing energy prices and mitigating uncertainty and risks in the market”, the press release said.