Bosnia and Herzegovina candidate for EU membership: a message to the people and a task for politicians

European Union leaders unanimously agreed on Thursday to grant EU candidate status to Bosnia and Herzegovina. This decision is an important milestone, which confirms the country’s European future. It responds to the clear demands of the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina to live in dignity, peace and prosperity. This decision should now provide a impetus for change in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Political leaders have a clear task to move forward with decisive and long-awaited reforms to make this ambition a reality.

Since the beginning of my mandate, I have worked to ensure that Bosnia and Herzegovina can continue to count on the support of the European Union. We have worked hard to help Bosnia and Herzegovina’s political leaders improve the functioning of institutions, address the challenges of migration and prepare an ambitious electoral reform package. We have maintained a strong mandate for our EUFOR/ALTHEA military operation and provided the necessary financial support. As I said in Sarajevo earlier this year, our commitment to maintaining security and stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina is rock solid. We are and will remain fully committed to the unity, territorial integrity and sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Russia’s illegal and unprovoked aggression against Ukraine has reminded us all of the fragility of peace on our continent. There can be no neutrality between the aggressor and the victim. Together, the EU and the Western Balkan partners share the responsibility for building a democratic, stable and peaceful continent. Bosnia and Herzegovina has taken this responsibility seriously, condemning the aggression and aligning itself with the EU’s unprecedented sanctions against the Russian leadership. This position demonstrates that our common future is based on shared values ​​and principles.

The European Union has been working closely with partners around the world to mitigate the negative impact of Russian aggression on food supplies, inflation, energy and commodity prices and this also applies to Bosnia – Herzegovina. In fact, no one is helping Bosnia and Herzegovina more than the EU, and we do it with no hidden intentions. The EU has mobilized €1 billion to help households and small and medium-sized businesses in the Western Balkans cope with rising energy prices. Long term, we are investing in the green transition, to end our energy dependence and create good jobs in the region.

I look forward to starting working with Bosnia and Herzegovina’s newly elected leaders, putting the country’s European integration at the heart of their actions. There is still a long way to go: candidate status is not the final destination, but the beginning of a new chapter. A serious acceleration of reforms is needed before accession talks begin. These reforms are not made for “Brussels”, but to improve the daily life of all citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Every citizen has a role to play in this process, even if the ultimate responsibility for the results rests with those elected.

While the route from Dayton to Brussels remains challenging, the destination is now clearly visible and the roadmap is clearly outlined. Let us commit ourselves together to a new path of rapprochement of Bosnia-Herzegovina to the European Union.