BERLIN
Germany and Britain announced a joined initiative Wednesday to revive the EU membership candidacy of Bosnia Herzegovina.
“Our aim is to bring Bosnia Herzegovina back on the reform track, a path that can eventually enable the country to become a member of the EU,” German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said.
Steinmeier made the remarks at the Sixth Aspen Southeast Europe Foreign Ministers’ Conference in Berlin.
The think-tank, Aspen Institute, organized the conference that brought together foreign ministers of seven Balkan countries, the U.K. and Germany. The British embassy in Berlin hosted the meeting.
British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond called on the Bosnia Herzegovina government to focus on the EU integration process.
“We want to work with you to ensure progress. And we are prepared to act as cheerleaders for Bosnia and Herzegovina’s EU candidacy within the EU once that progress is made,” Hammond said in his speech.
He said the EU expected Bosnia Herzegovina to commit itself to political and institutional reforms at all levels of the state structure, to make it more functional and able to work effectively with the bloc.
Bosnia Herzegovina should agree with the EU on a roadmap for a broad reform agenda that includes implementation of the Copenhagen political and economic criteria, he said.
Bosnian Foreign Minister Zlatko Lagumdzija welcomed the initiative and underlined the need for stronger European support for the success of Bosnia Herzegovina’s candidacy.
“If Bosnia Herzegovina is not able to become a functional, multi-cultural, multi-ethnic state, then the Western Balkans will not have a great chance to be united,” Lagumdzija said.
Foreign ministers of Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, Albania, Kosovo and Macedonia also expressed support for the U.K.-Germany initiative.
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