Bombay Durpun - Brussels backs Bosnia for EU candidate status

"The Commission recommends that candidate status be granted to Bosnia and Herzegovina by the (European) Council on the understanding that a number of steps are taken," commissioner for enlargement Oliver Varhelyi tweeted after making the announcement to EU lawmakers.

If the EU, which currently comprises 27 member countries, adopts the recommendation, Bosnia would join seven other nations with candidate status: Turkey, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, Moldova and Ukraine.

The process to join the European Union can take many years as candidates implement reforms that have to be rigorously evaluated by Brussels. It can also grind to a halt, which is the case with Turkey's bid.

Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen told EU ambassadors: "Today we have proposed to grant candidate status to Bosnia and Herzegovina."

But she added: "Of course it is up to the candidate countries to reform their economies and their institutions and to advance towards our union."

The commission said Bosnia needed to make progress on "democracy, functionality of state institutions, rule of law, the fight against corruption and organised crime" as well as guaranteeing media freedom and migration management.

The commission will help all candidate countries in their accession bids, von der Leyen said, stating that "I think that is Europe's moment and it is up to us to seize that moment".

The "wind of change is once again blowing through Europe and we have to capture this momentum," she said.

"The Western Balkans belong in our family and we have to make this very, very clear."

- 'Concerns' over Turkey -

Brussels is concerned that other powers, such as China or Russia, might spread their influence into the Balkans if countries hopeful of joining the EU are thwarted.

Already, Serbia is maintaining cosy relations and energy links with Russia, while also keeping visa-free access for citizens of many countries that require visas for the European Union, some of whom try to enter the bloc.

In Bosnia's case, the country of three million people is burdened with ethnic divisions continuing since its devastating war three decades ago.

It remains partitioned between a Serb entity and a Muslim-Croat federation connected by a weak central government.

The top international envoy to Bosnia, Christian Schmidt, welcomed the move.

"This unanimous message from Brussels is especially important now, when international law is being trampled and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of independent states are questioned or violated," Schmidt said in a statement.

In terms of Turkey, Varhelyi said the annual EU report on all current candidate countries confirmed Ankara's "negative trend of moving away from the European Union in key areas of fundamental rights, rule of law and independence of the judiciary".

He also noted tensions between Turkey and EU members Greece and Cyprus.

"The EU's relations with Turkey remain complex," he told journalists.

On one hand, he said, Turkey remains a "key partner" on issues such as migration, climate, food security and trade, and was a valuable interlocutor with Russia as the war in Ukraine grinds on, particularly in freeing up grain deliveries.

"However, it has also decided to increase trade and financial relations with Russia, and has not aligned with EU restrictive measures. This is a cause for increasing concerns," Varhelyi said.

R.Altobelli--BD