The European Council has decided to start accession negotiations with Bosnia-Herzegovina, announced the President of the European Council, Charles Michel.

European leaders decided to start negotiations with the Western Balkan country, following the relevant recommendation addressed by the European Commission ten days ago (March 12, 2024). The European Council in its conclusions calls on the Commission to prepare the negotiating framework with a view to its adoption by the Council when Bosnia and Herzegovina fulfills all the relevant steps set out in the Commission’s recommendations of 12 October 2022.

It is recalled that on the eve of the European Council, France, the Netherlands and Denmark were cautious about the start of accession negotiations with Bosnia-Herzegovina. On the contrary, Greece together with six other countries (Italy, Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Slovenia), with which Germany subsequently joined, demanded the opening of negotiations with Bosnia-Herzegovina, claiming that it had implemented substantial reforms in the last months. The seven countries stressed that it is important to start negotiations, otherwise the EU’s role in the Western Balkans will be weakened and a negative message will be sent to the region as a whole.

Moreover, as far as Ukraine and Moldova are concerned, the European Council in its conclusions welcomes the progress achieved by the two countries in the necessary reforms on their way to the EU. Following the submission of the draft negotiating frameworks for Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, the European Council calls on the Commission to approve them quickly and to proceed with the work without delay.

Regarding Georgia, the European Council emphasizes that it takes into account the efforts made by the country and encourages it to proceed with the pending priority reforms.