During his visit to Sarajevo on Monday 4 December, European Commissioner for Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn urged the leaders of Bosnia-Herzegovina to implement the promised reforms.
"I urge all the politicians to keep their commitments, given by the signature in 2015, of really committing for the country's European aspiration", he told press. In January 2015, the Presidency of Bosnia-Herzegovina reached an agreement on the "written commitment to undertake reforms as part of the EU accession process" (see EUROPE 11243), which was approved a month later by the country's parliament (see EUROPE 11261).
Hahn warned that "candidate status is not a free lunch" and that results needed to be achieved in the reforms. "Much has been promised and nothing has been done", he regretted, adding that it was "high time" to make progress on the reforms. "Otherwise the window (of opportunity) could close again", he warned. "What counts is the results, and this is what is still missing", he said. Hahn stated that the EU particularly expected concrete results on excise duty, rural development and energy.
He also called on the country's political leaders to find a political solution to the last pending questions of the questionnaire sent out by the Commission. He said he had received promises that this questionnaire would be sent "in the coming days, perhaps in early January". In Hahn's view, there are around 50 questions where the answers are still the subject of political negotiations. Sarajevo is due to send a questionnaire back to the Commission with over 3,200 questions, which the Council will use as a basis for whether or not to attribute Bosnia-Herzegovina EU candidate status (see EUROPE 11890). (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)