Making Bosnia and Herzegovina’s transformation irreversible

At their 19-20 June Summit 2008, EU leaders heralded the signing of a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with Bosnia and Herzegovina (BH) as “an important step” in the country’s 'European course'. This Policy Brief by Lidija Topic argues that while the SAA gives BH a contractual relationship with the Union - a crucial building-block towards making its transformation 'irreversible' - the continuation of this process is not automatic and BH must now prove its ability to implement the agreement.