Costa with BiH Presidency members and Krišto: BiH's path to the EU is stalled

(Patria) - President of the European Council Antonio Costa begins his visit to the Western Balkans in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and during his stay on June 1, he will meet with the members of the BiH Presidency where a press conference will be held, and he will also hold a meeting with the Chairperson of the BiH Council of Ministers Borjana Krišto.

Costa's visit to the Western Balkans is a signal of the EU's commitment to this region and an opportunity for enlargement.

"The momentum is there. Now is the time to deliver results," Costa stated.

From BiH, Costa will travel to Albania, then North Macedonia, Kosovo, then Serbia, while on June 5 in Tivat he will meet with leaders from the region and co-chair the EU-Western Balkans Summit.

President Costa will discuss opportunities and challenges related to enlargement, gradual integration, regional cooperation, security, and stability.

Regarding Bosnia and Herzegovina, its European path has almost completely stalled. The BiH Council of Ministers has never appointed a chief negotiator with the EU, nor has it adopted two laws that the European Union insisted on, the Law on the HJPC and the Law on Courts, which establishes the Appellate Court as a separate court from the Court of BiH.

Criticism has come from the European Union towards the BiH authorities, and the fact is that since the opening of accession negotiations in March 2024, almost no further steps have been taken on the path to the EU. Thus, the adoption of the Reform Agenda was delayed, due to which we have already lost some money from the Growth Plan.