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The EU Fee is to suggest on Tuesday (12 March) that member states open accession talks with Bosnia and Herzegovina after the nation took “spectacular steps” to satisfy the bloc’s requirements, its president, Ursula von der Leyen, instructed a parliamentary plenary session in Strasbourg.
“After all, extra progress is critical to affix our union, however the nation is displaying it might probably ship on the membership standards,” von der Leyen mentioned.
The western Balkan nation formally utilized to affix the EU in February 2016, however has been a possible candidate since 2003 and was solely granted candidate standing in December 2022.
In a while Tuesday, the EU government will current a report on Bosnia’s progress in assembly the standards for EU membership.
“Extra progress has been achieved in simply over a 12 months than in a complete decade,” mentioned the fee president, anticipating the end result of the evaluation as constructive and that the EU establishment will suggest to the council to formally open accession negotiations with Bosnia.
“Bosnia and Herzegovina is now absolutely aligned with our overseas and safety coverage, which is essential in these occasions of geopolitical turmoil,” she mentioned, mentioning additionally necessary legal guidelines on the prevention of conflicts of curiosity, on cash laundering and on the battle towards terrorism.
Thus far, Bosnia and Herzegovina is the one nation within the Western Balkans (out of 5 official candidates) that has not entered into formal accession negotiations.
The problem of enlargement can be on the agenda of the upcoming summit in Brussels subsequent week (21-22 March), the place EU leaders should endorse the fee’s suggestion.
The EU government can even current a draft negotiating framework for the accession of Ukraine and Moldova this week, which can even want the inexperienced mild from member states.
In early November, the fee beneficial opening accession talks with each nations, however withheld a call on Bosnia.
Austrian overseas minister Alexander Schallenberg mentioned on the time that it might be a “geo-strategic catastrophe” if the EU rejected the Western Balkans in favour of Ukraine, as these nations had been equally necessary.
The subsequent Albania?
Vienna has been pushing to hurry up enlargement negotiations with the Western Balkans, notably with Bosnia and Herzegovina, given the long-standing partnership between the 2 nations — and the truth that Austrian firms are among the many main buyers within the area.
“I feel Bosnia-Herzegovina can be a subsequent [safe third country] that may very well be a possible accomplice for European nations,” Michael Spindelegger, director normal on the Worldwide Centre for Migration Coverage Growth (ICMPD) instructed EUobserver in an interview in January.
Spindelegger, himself a former overseas minister of Austria, mentioned that if Italy’s cope with Albania on asylum seekers confirmed constructive outcomes, different EU nations would take into account doing the identical, “perhaps in different nations of the Western Balkans”.
“I can’t reply on behalf of the [Austrian] authorities, however what I hear is that they’re taking a look at one other Western Balkan nation, as a result of the distinction [with other third countries] is huge,” Spindelegger argued.
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