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.