Schmidt: Ukraine advancing toward EU, Bosnia showing no progress

Schmidt, who participated in the Munich Security Conference, told Bosnian media that the most important outcome of the gathering was the confirmation of the continued alliance between the United States, the EU, and NATO, which is of particular importance in efforts to end the war in Ukraine.

He described discussion on the EU enlargement process as another key topic, with Ukraine's EU membership prospects and the acceleration of its accession process having been confirmed.

He said that such an opportunity should also exist for the Western Balkans, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, but that the country continues to struggle primarily with itself, as there is now a complete standstill in implementing the expected and promised reforms.

Unfortunately, I was not able to report to my interlocutors that Bosnia has made progress. I could not explain why two simple laws, necessary for opening accession negotiations, have still not been adopted in the BiH parliament, Schmidt said.

In order to secure the opening of accession negotiations, Bosnia and Herzegovina must adopt the Law on Courts and the Law on the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council, which have been pending since the spring of 2024. Both bills have been pending in parliament for months in various draft forms, with no indication of imminent adoption as parties remain divided over their content.

There are also no indications that the country could soon appoint a chief negotiator, and without that there can be no convening of the first intergovernmental conference.

Schmidt said that the time for talk has passed and that the international community expects concrete decisions from Bosnian political leaders. He recalled that due to political blockades, Bosnia is losing around three billion euros that it could use to strengthen its economy.