On Tuesday 28 April, Enlargement Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi welcomed the conclusions and the commitment of the Bosnian Presidency to make progress on the priority reforms put forward by the European Commission in May 2019 so that it can obtain the status of EU membership candidate country (see EUROPE 12266/3).
“Good news from Bosnia and Herzegovina: it's important that now concrete results are delivered for the country to progress on #EU”, the Commissioner stressed on Twitter.
Earlier in the day, the Ambassadors of the EU, Germany, France, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States had met with members of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a few days before the EU-Western Balkans Summit is to be held.
“Demonstrating a clear vision on the way forward is also of utmost importance in the context” of the upcoming Summit, the ambassadors said in a joint statement. According to them, the Summit is “an opportunity for BiH authorities to put unity over division and to show leadership and determination to improve the country”.
According to a statement by the Bosnian Presidency, its members confirmed at the meeting that EU membership was a strategic priority objective for the country. They stressed that they would continue to initiate and lead the reform process with a view to achieving the necessary degree of compliance with the accession criteria.
The meeting also provided an update on the Covid-19 pandemic. The European and US ambassadors encouraged the continuation of the authorities' coordination efforts to deal with the pandemic.
“It is crucial to continue to working in such spirit in the months ahead to ensure adequate measures are in place to also address socio-economic consequences” of the coronavirus, they explained, recalling that recovery will take time and that a swift and country-wide coordinated response will be needed. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)