EU Council on BiH: Tegeltija's appointment welcomed, no EU entry yet

BRUSSELS, (Patria) - The Council of the European Union today welcomed the appointment of the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Zoran Tegeltija, and called on executive and legislative bodies at all levels of government to start addressing the key priorities set out in the European Commission's Opinion, in line with the legitimate aspirations of the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina to move towards the European Union, it was announced today in the conclusions.

Member states of the Union adopted a series of conclusions on BiH today, emphasizing that the country is not yet ready for full membership, based on the submitted application. The opening of negotiations will be possible when the European Commission assesses that BiH has made the necessary progress.

"The Council reiterates its unequivocal commitment to the EU perspective of Bosnia and Herzegovina as a single, united and sovereign state," the conclusions stated.

The Council welcomes the European Commission's Opinion on Bosnia and Herzegovina's application for membership in the European Union and recognizes that Bosnia and Herzegovina currently does not sufficiently meet the Copenhagen criteria, and significant efforts must be made to strengthen its institutions to guarantee democracy, the rule of law, human rights, and respect for and protection of minorities.

"Regarding the economic criteria, Bosnia and Herzegovina has achieved a certain degree of macroeconomic stability, as it is still in the early stages of establishing a functional market economy and becoming competitive within the common market. The implementation of obligations from the Stabilization and Association Agreement must be improved. Bosnia and Herzegovina is overall in an early stage regarding its level of readiness to undertake obligations for EU membership and needs to significantly intensify the process of alignment with the EU acquis and the implementation of relevant legislation," it was concluded.

Bosnia and Herzegovina needs to make additional efforts, as emphasized, especially regarding the implementation of the fourteen key priorities listed in the Commission's Opinion.

These key priorities focus on the areas of democracy and state functionality, the rule of law, fundamental rights, and public administration reform, and must be met – it was stated.
The Council notes that it will finally consider opening EU accession negotiations, in line with established practice, at a time when the Commission assesses that Bosnia and Herzegovina has achieved the necessary degree of compliance with the membership criteria and has particularly fulfilled the key priorities outlined in the Commission's Strategy.

The Council calls on the Commission to focus on its annual reports on Bosnia and Herzegovina, starting with the 2020 report, on the implementation of the key priorities that need to be addressed – it was said.