When Stagnation Becomes The Norm: Bosnia And Herzegovina's Path To The European Union
Presented by: Mr. Žižić
Date: April 18, 2025
The Accession of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the European Union
- Bosnia and Herzegovina (B-H) is currently one of five Western Balkan countries with
EU candidate status
- B-H completed SAA in 2015 and applied for EU membership in 2016
- B-H obtained EU candidate status in December 2022 and received conditional approval
for the accession negotiations in March 2024
- As of March 2025, Bosnia and Herzegovina has not yet met all conditions to open
accession negotiations
- B-H has not yet adopt and submit its Reform agenda as a prerequisite to receive EU
funds from Reform and Growth Facility
- B-H was the last of Western Balkan candidate countries to complete SAA, last to submit
EU membership application and last to receive EU candidate status
- B-H is the only Western Balkan candidate country without an adopted negotiating
framework
- B-H is the only Western Balkan country without approved Reform agenda
- Along with Serbia, B-H has not fully implemented EU restrictive measures against
Russia and Belarus
- EU accession progress of Western Balkan countries is generally stalled, with B-H as
the „champion" of stagnation on the EU path
The EU Path
- In December 2024, Council concluded that the integration dynamics of B-H have been
stalled, and urged all domestic political actors to:
• 1. Implement the necessary reforms,
• 2. Appoint a chief negotiator and a national IPA coordinator under the
Instrument for Pre-Accession (IPA) III,
• 3. Develop a national program for the adoption of the EU acquis,
• 4. Adopt and submit its Reform agenda,
• 5. Fully implement EU restrictive measures against Russia and Belarus
Where Are The Problems?
- Almost 30 years after concluding Dayton Peace Agreement, B-H is still under the
protectorate of international community
- Office of High Representative (OHR) of international community in Sarajevo is the
center of executive and legislative power in B-H
- Domestic political institutions and political actors are dependent on international actors,
with the US diplomacy as the most influential external actor in B-H
- B-H is deeply divided (plural) society with Bosniaks, Croats and Serbs as the three
societal segments (pillars)
- There is no consensus on the political system and state community among the three
constitutive peoples and their political representatives
- According to poll from June 2024, there is an overall support of accession to the EU of
71,2% (83,8% support in the Federation of B-H and 48,3% support in the Republika of
Srpska)
- Dayton Constitution from 1995 established power-sharing mechanisms to regulate
relations between three constitutive peoples
- The EU calls for constitutional and electoral reforms in B-H „in line with European
standards to eliminate all forms of inequality and discrimination in the electoral
process"
- Reforms are directed towards „liberalization" and abolishment of power-sharing
mechanisms and they are only supported by Bosniak political actors who advocate
majoritarian institutions
- Constitutional and electoral reforms affect delicate balance of power among three
constitutive peoples
- EU does not call for abolishment of OHR with its unlimited powers and no democratic
legitimacy
- Dayton constitutional system and its power-sharing arrangements are not obstacle to
EU integration of B-H
- Similar power-sharing arrangements exist in Belgium and South Tyrol (Italy) and they
are not considered to be discriminatory
- The main causes of ongoing stagnation of B-H's path to the EU are:
• Deep domestic divisions on basic political issues and
• External interventionism that hinder compromises of domestic political actors
What Is To Be Done?
- After almost 30 years of extensive external regulation of B-H's state and society,
responsibility for the state and society should be handed to the domestic political
representatives
- B-H as an international protectorate can not become full EU member
