#BosniaandHerzegovina applies for EU membership

By Catherine Feore

Twenty years on from the Bosnian war, the EU’s High Representative has announced that Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) application for EU membership has been accepted. The Commission have recognized the significant progress made , particularly in the field of social justice and the rule of law. The High representative welcomed the request and calls on BiH to “seize the momentum gained so far, and keep on working hard”.

Migration

The co-operation between the EU and the Western Balkans has been stepped up in order to recognize and cooperate on the Migration crisis. Unprecedented flows of refugees and migrants starting in summer 2015 and escalating in the autumn put the Western Balkans route at the centre of the challenge faced by Europe, nearly 880,000 people crossed from Turkey to Greece in 2015, with most of them subsequently travelling through the Western Balkans to Central and Northern Europe.

President Juncker took the initiative to convene a Leaders' Meeting on refugee flows along the Western Balkans route on 25 October 2015 and brokered agreement on a 17-point plan to achieve the gradual, controlled and orderly movement of persons along the Western Balkans route. Key issues included border controls, reception capacity and the management of migration flows between the group of countries facing the highest pressure over recent months.

Background

BiH, along with other Western Balkans countries, was identified as potential EU member in 2003. Since then, a number of agreements have slowly emerged. The EU continues to deploy considerable resources in Bosnia and Herzegovina within the framework of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP).

The EUFOR/Althea mission continues to be present in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The operation was reconfigured and reduced to 600 troops as of 1 September 2012, focusing on capacity-building and training, while also retaining the means to contribute to the country's deterrence capacity. The EU remains committed to strengthening the rule of law in Bosnia and Herzegovina through other instruments, including the the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA).

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