BOSNIA-Herzegovina granted EU CAndidate Status!
The European Council on December 15th, 2022 granted Bosnia-Herzegovina the candidate status for EU membership.
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 earlier this week.
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, welcomed the decision. "This is a decision for the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Political leaders can now turn this ambition into reality through decisive reforms," he said.
Oliver Varhelyi, EU commissioner for Enlargement, welcomed the decision as well, saying that Bosnia's future lies in the EU.
The AII has strongly promoted the candidate status for Bosnia-Herzegovina. In the Tirana Declaration adopted on 16 May 2022 the 10 Ministers of Foreign Affairs of AII countries encouraged EU Member States to accelerate the EU path for the Western Balkans countries and granting the candidate status to Bosnia and Herzegovina as soon as possible.
As Permanent Secretariat we are very pleased for this important decision and we will continue working and cooperating with Bosnia-Herzegovina in order to further strengthen EU integration. During the last semester of BiH AII Chairmanship topics essential to open up EU negotiations will be explored.