Bosnia and Herzegovina Set For European Union 'Candidate Status'

Facts

• The EU General Affairs Council (GAC) agreed on Tuesday to grant Bosnia and Herzegovina candidate status to the bloc, a recommendation which will require endorsement by European leaders in the European Council summit on Thursday.
• This comes as the GAC found that Sarajevo took the steps required by the Commission in October, considering it a matter of urgency that the Balkan country advances on its EU path given, "the current geopolitical context."
• Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, the EU has renewed efforts to admit more eastern countries, amid fears that Beijing or Moscow could spread their influence to the Balkans if the region were to lose hope of joining the bloc.
• Sarajevo applied to join the EU in 2016 and had its bid endorsed in 2019 by the European Commission. While candidate status does not automatically trigger negotiations, it symbolically acknowledges that the country is on track to begin the accession process.
• Once it receives its candidate status, Bosnia and Herzegovina will join Albania, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey, and Ukraine in the long and complex process to join the EU, which could take years.
• EU Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi said in October that Bosnia and Herzegovina still needs reform on several issues that include the judiciary and battling corruption, as well as constitutional and electoral changes – areas in which little progress has been reported in recent years.

Sources: European Western Balkans, N1 Info, Al Jazeera, Euro, and Associated Press.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by N1. Opening the path for Bosnia and Herzegovina to become a member state is a historic breakthrough in EU enlargement policy, which will benefit Bosnian citizens and promote political stability in the Western Balkans. As Moscow has stepped up propaganda in the region, the EU must speed up its enlargement process to protect the unity of Europe.
• Narrative B, as provided by EU Observer. Granting Bosnia and Herzegovina EU candidate status is a geopolitical move, but above all, it's a mistake that will damage the bloc's reputation, as the country is unlikely to be able to assume the responsibilities of an eventual membership. EU enlargement policy should serve, not to appease with corrupt politicians, but rather to push for democracy and rule of law.

Predictions