A little more than 24 hours remain until the publication of the European Commission’s long-awaited report on enlargement, and there is great hope in the Western Balkans that the EU will finally push forward the candidacies of those countries for membership.
Rumors of a green light for Bosnia and Herzegovina did not go down well with some EU diplomats, who angrily pointed to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s supposed backsliding in the rule of law.
“We granted Bosnia and Herzegovina candidate status under the assumption that it would stimulate reforms, and since then we have only seen the situation with the rule of law and the political situation deteriorate. How can we now make a decision on opening negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina, and still expect that other candidate countries diligently implement their reforms,” said one EU diplomat, reports Politico.eu.
The decision to start membership negotiations between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the European Union must be made by all member states. In the case of Germany and the Netherlands, this must be confirmed by their respective parliaments.
