“Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is part of the European family,” said Oliver Varhelyi, the European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement, after the European Commission recommended to the European Council to open accession negotiations with BiH.
“Today, we propose the opening of accession negotiations with the European Union (EU) with BiH. Since BiH was granted candidate status in December 2022, the strategic goal of European integration has been progressing tirelessly, yielding very positive results. BiH is part of the EU family,” Varhelyi wrote on X.
As a reminder, the recommendation of the European Commission will be decided by the General Affairs Council next Tuesday, composed of the ministers of foreign or European affairs of the member states, and then by the heads of the member states who will convene at the summit on March 21st and 22nd.
BiH applied for membership on February 15th, 2016, and was granted candidate status on December 15th, 2022.
This country is among the six countries in the region, along with Albania, Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro, and North Macedonia, which are in different stages of the EU accession process.
If EU leaders decide to open negotiations with BiH, Kosovo remains the only country in the region that does not have candidate status, although it has applied.
