Bosnia Inches Toward EU Entry Goal Decades After War Ends

(Bloomberg) -- The European Union has proposed granting candidate status for membership in the bloc to Bosnia-Herzegovina, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday.

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The step is a conditional one, where Bosnia will have to take steps related to democracy, functionality of state institutions, the rule of law and fighting corruption, among others, according to a statement from the EU’s executive arm.

This is just one step in a lengthy process toward possible EU membership that often takes a decade or more.

Earlier this year, the EU began membership talks with North Macedonia and Albania, pushing those two nations a step forward in a process held up for years as other Balkan countries advanced their accession bids.

The invasion of Ukraine has raised concerns that Moscow may increase its influence in the Balkans, prompting the EU to step up efforts to move forward the long-stalled enlargement debate.

“Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine brings into strong relief the importance of EU enlargement, which takes on a new geopolitical significance,” the EU’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said in a statement. “It is a long-term investment into peace, prosperity and stability for our continent.”

(Updates with details of approval starting in second paragraph)

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