German chancellor backs Bosnia’s EU membership bid

BERLIN

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Wednesday voiced strong support for the EU membership bid of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Speaking at parliament before heading to Brussels to meet with the EU leaders, Scholz underlined that EU enlargement into the Western Balkans remains a priority for his government.

“It is good that Bosnia Herzegovina this week has become an EU accession candidate as well,” he said, referring to the agreement among 27 member states to grant formal candidate status to the Balkan country.

“It is very much in Germany's interest, as well as in Europe’s interest, that the Western Balkans become part of the European Union,” Scholz said.

The chancellor said Russia’s war on Ukraine has led to shifts in geopolitical assessments, and boosted the importance of Western Balkans for Europe.

Scholz said he will continue to “energetically” support the EU membership processes of the six Western Balkan countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia.

The Western Balkan states have been waiting to join the EU for almost 20 years, but their membership bids were long stalled, due to regional problems, and the reluctance of several EU states to take in new members.