Bosnia-Herzegovina gets candidate status for EU membership

By Talha Ozturk

BELGRADE, Serbia (AA) – The European Council on Thursday granted Bosnia-Herzegovina a candidate status for EU membership.

The EU leaders approved the decision at a summit in Brussels following a recommendation by the European Commission in October and voting in the EU Council and General Affairs Council this week.

Bosnia-Herzegovina's top priorities are joining the political and economic community of European states, along with joining NATO.

The Balkan country became a potential candidate for the bloc during the European Council summit in Thessaloniki in 2003.

It officially applied for EU membership in 2016.

Candidacy status is the first step in a country's long-term EU accession process.

After a country is granted candidate status, accession negotiations begin in stages, provided that the conditions are met.

Accession negotiations can take years to begin.