Bosnia and Herzegovina: EU Leaders Approve Membership Talks

Facts

• EU leaders agreed at a summit in Brussels on Thursday to open accession talks with Bosnia and Herzegovina, eight years after the Western Balkan country officially applied for membership to the bloc.¹
• Charles Michel, president of the European Council, described the move on X as 'a key step forward' on the country's path to EU accession and said that Bosnia's 'place is in our European family' but that the country still had 'hard work' to do.²
• EU leaders concluded the summit by emphasizing Bosnia's need to take 'all relevant steps set out' by the Commission, including economic, legal, and political reforms along with increased efforts to combat corruption and money laundering.³
• Bosnia's foreign minister Elvedin Konakovic hailed Thursday's decision as 'one of the best days' in the country's history, while Elvira Habota, Sarajevo's chief representative for European integration, said the step brings 'a wave of optimism' to the country.⁴
• This comes as EU officials are reportedly taking a fresh look at EU enlargement, arguing that Russia's invasion of Ukraine highlighted the risks of foreign powers destabilizing 'grey zones' on the EU's borders.⁵
• Since the 1992-95 war, which claimed the lives of more than 100K people and displaced millions, Bosnia remains ethnically and politically divided. Despite the start of accession talks, it could take many years before the country formally joins the EU.⁶

Sources: ¹Euronews, ²The Guardian, ³France 24, ⁴Reuters, ⁵Yahoo News and ⁶BBC News.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by European Western Balkans. This decision is another milestone in the history of successive EU enlargements. With the opening of negotiations, Sarajevo is reaping the fruits of its impressive reform steps and progress in adopting important legislation, while the decision will further boost Bosnia's commitment to implementing further criteria for EU membership. The bloc continues to inspire, and its expansion ensures that it will remain a unique success model for promoting democracy, freedom and prosperity in a rapidly changing world.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Euractiv. Following the opening of accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova, Thursday's decision is a further step that threatens to discredit the entire accession process, as Bosnia is also far from having achieved the necessary reform targets. The EU is in danger of turning to geopolitically motivated enlargement instead of maintaining clear economic and political admission criteria. However, size is not synonymous with stability and strength, and the bloc should rethink its standards and reflect on how it defines itself.

Predictions