Memo: Key findings of the 2013 Progress Report on Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Progress Report on Bosnia and Herzegovina is part of the 2013 Enlargement Package adopted by the European Commission on 16 October 2013. The Commission concluded that Bosnia and Herzegovina has made very limited progress in addressing the political criteria. A shared vision by the political representatives on the overall direction and future of the country, or on how it should function, remains absent. Despite intensive facilitation efforts by the EU, the country's political representatives could not agree on a solution to implement the European Court of Human Rights judgement in the Sejdić-Finci case regarding discrimination against citizens on grounds of ethnicity. Addressing this judgement remains key for the entry into force of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement and for a credible application for EU membership. No progress has been achieved either on establishing an effective coordination mechanism on EU-related matters between various levels of government. Such a coordination mechanism is essential to enable the representatives of Bosnia and Herzegovina to speak on behalf of their country and to commit when interacting with the EU.