EU countries have agreed to grant Bosnia 'candidate status' to join the union, diplomats say, putting the volatile Balkan nation at the start of a long road to membership
European affairs ministers meeting in Brussels on Tuesday gave the green light to Bosnia becoming a candidate, after the bloc's executive arm in October recommended that they fast-track the membership process.
European affairs ministers meeting in Brussels on Tuesday gave the green light to Bosnia becoming a candidate, after the bloc's executive arm in October recommended that they launch the membership process. The EU is concerned that other powers, such as Russia or China, might spread their influence into the Balkans if countries hopeful of joining the bloc are thwarted.The move comes despite long-standing concerns over the political situation in Bosnia, a country of three million people burdened with ethnic divisions since its devastating war and the Srebrenica genocide three decades ago.
A stand-off has seen Republika Srpska block state institutions and cause "virtual paralysis" in the reform process, the EU has said.The EU's executive branch, the European Commission, has laid out 14 priorities for reform that it insists Bosnia must make good on before it can move on to the next stage of opening formal accession negotiations.
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