Opinion on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s application for membership of the European Union

Summary:

Communication presented on 29 May 2019 by the European Commission setting out its Opinion on Bosnia and Herzegovina's application for membership of the European Union (EU), together with an analytical report.

Further information:

The Commission assessed Bosnia and Herzegovina's application on the basis of the country's capacity to meet the criteria set by the European Council in 1993 - also known as Copenhagen criteria -  notably regarding the country’s administrative capacity and the conditions of the Stabilisation and Association Process. The Opinion also takes into account Bosnia and Herzegovina’s track record in implementing its obligations under the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA).

The report concludes that the country does not yet sufficiently fulfil the criteria related to the stability of institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, human rights and respect for and protection of minorities. Negotiations for accession to the European Union should be opened once the country achieved the necessary degree of compliance with the membership criteria.

Bosnia and Herzegovina presented its application for membership of the European Union in February 2016, which opened a process of assessment and of decision-making in granting candidate status, followed by a new decision-making on opening accession negotiations.

Official

EUR-Lex: SWD(2019)222: Analytical report accompanying COM(2019)261 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=SWD:2019:222:FIN

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