EU sees Bosnia and Herzegovina as single, united sovereign state in bloc

By Talha Ozturk

BELGRADE, Serbia (AA) - The head of the EU Commission said Tuesday that the bloc sees Bosnia and Herzegovina as a single, united and sovereign state in the group.

Ursula von der Leyen hailed the country's efforts to align with foreign policies of the bloc.

“You have shown that you can achieve results if the country jointly moves forward. The four of us are united and agree that we see Bosnia and Herzegovina in the EU. Let nothing divert you from the given course,” von der Leyen said in a news conference in the Bosnian capital, Sarajevo, alongside Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Pnekovic, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Chairwoman of the Council of Ministers, Borjana Kristo.

In reference to questions about what else can be done for the membership process, Von der Leyen encouraged Bosnia to press on with reforms.

“We need to see the adoption of laws related to democracy and the rule of law. Activities should start from the law on courts, suppression of conflicts of interest and fight against money laundering,” she said.

She said the EU’s report on Bosnia Herzegovina's progress will be published in March.

Kristo said that based on its efforts, Bosnia will receive a clear date to start accession negotiations.

"I can say that Bosnia and Herzegovina has been 100% in harmony with the EU in its foreign policy in the last year,” said Kristo. “I firmly believe that, within the scope of all the work we have carried out, we will receive a clear date to start accession negotiations in the next period.”

She added that despite difficulties, Bosnia will achieve membership, which is its first goal in foreign policy.

Plenkovic said his country has provided the greatest support for years in accelerating Bosnia Herzegovina's EU membership process.

"I think that a clear situation should emerge for Bosnia Herzegovina's accession negotiations with the EU at the summit in March,” said Plenkovic.

Rutte noted that a "dark period" in relations was experienced due to his country's position in the Srebrenica genocide in 1995, and emphasized that there are unbreakable ties between the two countries.

"There are six weeks ahead of Bosnia and Herzegovina. During this period, Bosnia and Herzegovina must implement the 14 basic priorities determined by the EU and cooperate with the EU's border protection agency, Frontex. There are many things that need to be done in a short time. Therefore, it is difficult to start accession negotiations but I saw that the authorities in Sarajevo are very determined about EU membership,” said Rutte.

Bosnia and Herzegovina gained EU candidate status Dec. 15, 2022.