The European Commission has recommended that Bosnia and Herzegovina be granted the official status of candidate country to join the European Union, but under the condition of further reforms, Euronews reports.
"Today we have proposed to grant candidate status to Bosnia and Herzegovina in the [Commission's] college decision," EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday.
"We have recognised Georgia's European perspective too, so the wind of change is once again blowing through Europe and we have to capture this momentum."
The announcement represents a geopolitical step forward for the Balkan country, which has for months seen a rise in political infighting and ethnic tensions that threatens its delicate power-sharing system.
Bosnia has spent almost two decades on the EU's waiting list: it was first identified as a "potential" EU candidate in June 2003 and submitted its formal application in February 2016.
In June this year, the European Council affirmed it was "ready" to grant Bosnia the candidate status and asked the European Commission to report back on the implementation of 14 key priorities from its 2019 report, covering areas such as democracy, rule of law, fundamental rights and public administration reform.
"We expect from the leaders of Bosnia and Herzegovina to make full use of this opportunity and to make the following reforms as soon as possible," said Olivér Várhelyi, European Commissioner for neighbourhood and enlargement, as he presented the 2022 report.
The report acknowledges the "political turmoil" and "legislative standstill" inside the country and shows a lack of progress in most of the main fields, as well as a failure to comply with rulings issued by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) regarding discrimination in electoral rights.
On top of the 14 priorities, the Commission presents eight additional steps to be taken by Bosnia, focusing on judicial reform, prevention of conflicts of interests, fight against corruption and organised crime, border and migration management, media freedom, protection of journalists and the creation of preventive mechanisms against torture and ill-treatment.
The executive's recommendation has to be endorsed by the 27 EU countries in a unanimity vote.
"Granting candidate status is an offer that comes once in a [lifetime] and with very high expectations," Várhelyi said, stressing the need for swift and effective reforms.
"This is not an offer for the political class. It’s an offer for the country."
Bosnia's Foreign Affairs Minister Bisera Turković described the decision as "historic" and a "strong message" for all Bosnian citizens. "Our future is within the European family," the minister said.
If EU leaders approve Bosnia's bid, the Balkan country will join Albania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine and Moldova as official candidate countries.
Albania and North Macedonia are the two most advanced countries in the complex and drawn-out accession process after opening formal negotiations in July. Accession talks are divided into 35 chapters.
Further down the line are Georgia and Kosovo. Georgia has been granted a so-called "European perspective" pending the introduction of reforms, while Kosovo is often considered a potential candidate, even if some member states still do not recognise the republic.
