leader of the Bosnian Croat Democratic Union (HDZ BiH) party, Dragan Covic, said on Tuesday, during talks with European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi, that the EU is the most important foreign policy priority for Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Also discussed at the meeting was an agreement on government formation between the HDZ BiH and eight Bosniak and civic parties, which were in opposition until the 4 October elections. The agreement is to be signed today.

Covic said that “a European BiH has no alternative and the EU remains the country's most important foreign policy priority now and in the future.”

The two officials discussed the possibility of the country obtaining EU candidate status and what needs to be done for BiH to meet key reforms and form the government after the October elections.

Čović thanked Varhelyi for his commitment to a European BiH, calling him “a proven friend of BiH”.

Varhelyi earlier hinted at the possibility that the European Council could accept as early as December the European Commission's recommendation that Bosnia and Herzegovina be granted candidate status. For that to happen, the outgoing BiH government should adopt several reform laws and measures.