The heads of State and Government of the European Union (EU) decided this Thursday to open negotiations for the entry of Bosnia-Herzegovina into the community club, within the framework of the summit they are holding today and tomorrow in Brussels.
“The European Council has just decided to start accession negotiations with Bosnia-Herzegovina. Congratulations,” reported the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, through the social network X.
The Belgian politician indicated that the Balkan country’s place “is in our European family.”
Michel assured that today’s decision “is a key step on your path towards the EU. Now we must continue working hard so that Bosnia and Herzegovina moves forward with firm steps, as your people want.
EU countries decided to grant Bosnia-Herzegovina candidate status last year, and recently the European Commission recommended the Twenty-Seven agree to open negotiations.
Specifically, the Community Executive recommended starting accession negotiations and considered that, although Bosnia needs to progress even more before becoming an EU Member State, it is “demonstrating that it can meet the community criteria” and the aspirations of its citizens to be part of the European family.
In any case, talks are not expected to begin until the country has complied with the reforms agreed with Brussels.
The Republika Srpska – with a majority population of Serbian origin -, together with the Common Federation of Muslims and Croats, forms the State of Bosnia-Herzegovina according to the Dayton Peace Agreement of 1995, which ended three and a half years of war between Bosnian Muslims, Serbs and Croats.
