Slovenia Hails EU Decision to Seek Bosnia Breakthrough

Speaking after the meeting in Brussels, Erjavec said that he was pleased to see dialogue reopened between the EU and Bosnia at the highest level.

He assessed that Bosnia needed support from the EU in its efforts to implement changes that will make it ready for membership of the bloc.

His comments came after the ministers confirmed a strategy requiring a commitment to reforms from Bosnian politicians in cooperation with the civil society as a precondition for relaunching the accession process.

Erjavec highlighted that Slovenia had been urging the EU to take the lead in seeking a breakthrough in the Bosnian accession process.

However, he reiterated that there can be no concessions on requirements for membership for candidate countries, which is why Bosnia must meet the set conditions.

Avoiding concessions is beneficial in the long-term, as countries which fulfil the set conditions have an easier time as members, he added.

Erjavec is upbeat that today's decision will lead to a tangible breakthrough, highlighting that the new political leadership in the EU and

Bosnia-Herzegovina coupled with the challenging economic condition in the country were an incentive for positive action.

Bosnia-Herzegovina has seen little progress in its goal of joining the bloc since 2010 due to what the EU sees as a lack of political reforms aimed at overcoming the decision-making gridlock in the country.

The country signed the Accession and Stabilisation Agreement with the EU in 2008 during the Slovenian stint as the bloc's president.

Source: SloveniaTimes

Photo sources: Finance.si, Bled.si