THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION has recommended that EU countries give Bosnia candidacy status to join the bloc.
If the EU, which currently comprises 27 member countries, adopts the recommendation, Bosnia would join seven other nations with candidate status: Turkey, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, Moldova and Ukraine.
The process to join the European Union can take many years as candidates implement reforms that have to be rigorously evaluated by Brussels. It can also grind to a halt, which is the case with Turkey’s bid.
The commission said Bosnia needed to make progress on “democracy, the functionality of state institutions, the rule of law, the fight against corruption and organised crime” as well as guaranteeing media freedom and migration management.
The commission will help all candidate countries in their accession bids, von der Leyen said, stating that “I think that is Europe’s moment and it is up to us to seize that moment”.
The “wind of change is again blowing through Europe and we have to capture this momentum,” she said.
“The Western Balkans belong in our family, and we must make this very clear.”
