EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini called on Bosnia-Herzegovina on Tuesday 24 October to urgently pursue reforms in order to draw closer to the EU.
At a meeting in Brussels, Mogherini and the chairman of the presidency of Bosnia-Herzegovina Dragan Čović discussed the country’s immediate priorities, such as rapidly passing a law on customs duties, completing answers to an accession questionnaire by the end of the year and ensuring implementation of the reform agenda, the European External Action Service (EEAS) stated in a press release. These stages are all crucial for progress in Bosnia-Herzegovina towards joining the EU, the EEAS said. Passing the law on customs duties will make it possible to release finance from the IMF. Bosnia is due to return the European Commission a questionnaire with over 3,200 questions, which the Council of Ministers will use when deciding whether to grant the country candidate status (see EUROPE 11890).
Mogherini was clear in her expectation that Bosnia-Herzegovina would deliver swiftly and convincingly on its EU commitments, saying that she was determined to support the country in making tangible and irreversible progress on its European Union integration path. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)