Political Forum: Level of compliance with membership criteria can be achieved by end of year
Participants of the second High-Level Political Forum between the European Union and Bosnia and Herzegovina expect that our country will continue with delivering on reforms, and BiH representatives firmly are determined that the necessary level of compliance with membership criteria can be achieved during December this year, FENA learns.
This was agreed upon after a High-Level Political Forum organized and co-chaired by the European Commission, represented by Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighborhood Olivér Várhelyi, and the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, represented by Chairwoman of BiH Council of Ministers Borjana Krišto.
The participants acknowledged the political opportunity provided by the Commission’s recommendation to open EU accession negotiations, and the need for Bosnia and Herzegovina to deliver on further reforms, as stated in the agreed document, which FENA had access to.
To support the efforts of Bosnia and Herzegovina on its European path, the participants in the Forum reviewed Bosnia and Herzegovina’s progress, with a special focus on the Opinion key priorities and the steps outlined in the recommendation for candidate status as well as the urgent call to finalize the pending constitutional and electoral reforms.
The Commission will report to the Council on progress at the latest in March 2024, while the participants agreed to reconvene the Forum in six months.
After the first forum held in May in Sarajevo, the participants met again to continue monitoring the implementation of the steps described in the European Commission recommendation from 2022 and to report on further progress in the field.
The Forum was further attended by the Deputy Chairs of the Council of Ministers, the members of the Joint Collegium and the Heads of Clubs of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Prime Ministers of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and of Republika Srpska, the Prime Ministers of ten Cantons of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Mayor of Brčko District.
