In a report adopted on Tuesday, Foreign Affairs Committee MEPs call for Bosnia and Herzegovina to strengthen its readiness for EU accession negotiations.
In a changing geopolitical reality and the renewed importance of the Western Balkans in the EU’s enlargement policy, MEPs welcome the European Council’s decision in December 2022 to grant Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) candidate status. The EU should, Foreign Affairs Committee MEPs say in a report adopted on Tuesday, accelerate BiH’s accession process but stress the process needs to be based on the country’s own merits.
To seize the momentum and meaningfully advance
MEPs commend the swift implementation of the results of the October 2022 general election and the appointment of a new state-level government. The report notes the intervention by the High Representative to unblock the political stalemate and stresses the importance of having authorities in place at all levels to successfully continue the reform processes needed for progress on the EU path.
All political authorities should seize this current momentum to meaningfully advance with the implementation of the 14 key priorities for the accession process, MEPs say, regretting the slow pace of implementation since the Commission set out these criteria in 2019.
Deep division, promoted by political elites
More than 25 years after the end of the war, BiH remains deeply divided, with division promoted by political elites and secessionist attempts by the Republika Srpska entity’s leadership. The report warns that the country faces challenges to the rule of law, governance, accountability, freedom of expression and media, and corruption. MEPs stress that democratic progress must be a precondition for the country to be able to receive funds from the EU’s Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance IPA III.
They are particularly clear that inflammatory rhetoric and secessionist actions by the leadership of the Republika Srpska are destabilising BiH, contradict its EU perspective and endanger access to EU funding.
They reaffirm their support for the mandates of the Office of the High Representative in enhancing stability and democratic processes in BiH and EUFOR Operation Althea for the military aspects in overseeing the implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement.
The report commends BiH’s increased alignment with the EU’s common foreign and security policy and calls for the avoidance of inconsistencies in BiH’s foreign policy positions, urging actors to ensure the effective implementation of all targeted sanctions against Russia and Belarus.
The report was adopted by 63 votes in favour, 9 against and 3 abstentions.
The rapporteur Paulo Rangel (EPP, PT) said: “With the granting of candidate status and the formation of government authorities, Bosnia and Herzegovina now has a key opportunity to overcome blockages, reject destabilization, implement reforms and move forward on the EU path that its citizens want and deserve. There are challenges but also positive signs – it must now fully seize the momentum.”
