Brussels recommends EU candidate status for Bosnia
Oliver Varhelyi - Photo © European Union 2022
(BRUSSELS) - The European Commission recommended that Bosnia be granted EU candidate status Wednesday, as it released its assessment of the reform performance of partners and of future potential member states.
The 2022 Enlargement Package provides a detailed assessment of the state of play and the progress made by the Western Balkans and Turkey on their respective paths towards the European Union, with a particular focus on implementing fundamental reforms, as well as clear guidance on the reform priorities ahead.
Presenting this year's package, which consists of Communication on EU enlargement policy and annual reports, Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi said: "The recommendation to grant candidate status is a historic moment for the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina."
He said the enlargement policy of the European Union is "a geostrategic investment in our European continent's peace, stability, security, and socio-economic growth".
The recommendation is granted on the understanding that a number of steps are taken to reinforce democracy, functionality of state institutions, rule of law, the fight against corruption and organised crime, guarantee media freedom and migration management in the country.
In the case of Montenegro, the priority for further overall progress in negotiations remains the fulfilment of the rule of law interim benchmarks set under chapters 23 and 24. To reach this milestone, Montenegro needs to intensify its efforts to address the outstanding issues, including in the critical areas of freedom of expression and media freedom and fight against corruption and organised crime and credibility of the judiciary. This requires political stability and constructive engagement by all stakeholders, leading to the establishment of a stable government and broad political consensus in Parliament on key reforms.
Serbia should as a matter of priority establish a government, firmly committed to the EU strategic direction and reform path. Further work and political commitment are needed to continue and deepen reforms and address shortcomings, in particular in the key areas of the judiciary, fight against corruption and organised crime, media freedom, freedom of assembly and the domestic handling of war crimes. Serbia also needs to improve as a matter of priority its alignment with EU foreign and security policy which dropped significantly. It also needs to robustly tackle all forms of disinformation.
Albania and North Macedonia opened a new phase in their relations with the EU following the first intergovernmental conferences on accession negotiations on 19 July 2022. Albania and North Macedonia need to further intensify efforts in key areas of rule of law, the fight against corruption and the fight against organised crime. Albania also has to address property rights, minority issues and freedom of expression.
In June 2022, the European Council expressed its readiness to grant the status of candidate country to Bosnia and Herzegovina and invited the Commission to report on the implementation of the 14 key priorities, with special attention to those that constitute a substantial set of reforms. Fulfilling the 14 key priorities from the Commission's Opinion on the country's EU membership application will allow recommending opening EU accession negotiations.
Kosovo needs to intensify its efforts to strengthen democracy, public administration, the rule of law and to fight corruption. The Commission stands by its assessment of July 2018 that Kosovo has fulfilled all visa liberalisation benchmarks and the proposal, still pending in the Council, should be treated as a matter of urgency.
On the normalisation of relations, while both Serbia and Kosovo have remained engaged in the Dialogue, the EU expects both sides to engage more constructively in the negotiations on the legally-binding normalisation agreement in the coming period and show flexibility in order to make rapid and concrete progress.
Turkey
In the area of democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights, Turkey needs to reverse the negative trend as a matter of priority with addressing the weakening of effective checks and balances in the political system. Dialogue on rule of law and fundamental rights remains an integral part of the EU-Turkey relationship. The underlying facts leading to the assessment that Türkiye's accession negotiations have effectively come to a standstill, still hold.
The European Council has repeatedly re-affirmed its strategic interest in a stable and secure environment in the Eastern Mediterranean and in the development of a cooperative and mutually beneficial relationship with Turkey. However, the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean has again become tenser. Turkey must respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all EU Member States.
Turkey's continued policy of not aligning with restrictive measures against Russia is of concern due to the free circulation of products, including dual use goods, within the EU-Turkey Customs Union. Turkey also needs to take decisive steps to improve alignment with EU CFSP, including EU restrictive measures, and avoid actions that go against both countries' stated objective to join the EU.
Turkey remains a key partner for the European Union in essential areas of joint interest, such as migration, counterterrorism, economy, trade, energy, food security and transport. High-level dialogues and intensified engagement in these areas continued. Türkiye has facilitated dialogue between Russia and Ukraine and played a key role in the agreement on the export of grains, although it has also decided to increase trade and financial relations with Russia.
Detailed findings and recommendations on each country:
Albania: MEMO; Report; Country factograph
Bosnia and Herzegovina: MEMO; Report; Country factograph
Kosovo: MEMO; Report; Country factograph
Montenegro: MEMO; Report; Country factograph
North Macedonia: MEMO; Report; Country factograph
Serbia: MEMO; Report; Country factograph
Türkiye: MEMO; Report; Country factograph