The European Union grants the status of a candidate country to Bosnia

2022-12-13 12:48:12Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
The European Union grants the status of a candidate country to Bosnia
Illustrative photo

EU countries agreed on Tuesday to grant Bosnia "candidate status" to join the bloc, opening a long road to membership for the Balkan country.

European affairs ministers meeting in Brussels gave the green light to the decision, after the bloc's executive arm in October recommended they start the membership process.

The step is expected to be formally signed by EU leaders at a summit in Brussels on Thursday.

The draft document that the European Council will discuss also calls on Bosnia to "strengthen the rule of law, the fight against corruption and organized crime, migration management and fundamental rights".

"In the current geopolitical context, the Council underlines the urgency for the country to move forward on its path to the EU, particularly through the fulfillment of all 14 key priorities for the opening of EU accession negotiations identified in the Commission's Opinion on Bosnia's application and Herzegovina for EU membership, as approved by the Council in 2019. The Council also calls on all political leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina to swiftly implement the commitments set out in the agreement reached on 12 June 2022 and urgently finalize the constitutional reform and election in accordance with the main priorities", it says.


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