Statement of the MFA on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s EU Membership Application
16.02.2016 / 12:25 | Aktualizováno: 17.05.2017 / 21:03
The Czech Republic welcomes the fact that on the February 15, 2016, in the margins of the Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels, Bosnia and Herzegovina handed over the application for membership in the European Union to Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs Bert Koenders whose country presides over the Council of the EU. As other Visegrad Group countries, the Czech Republic is a firm and long-term supporter of Bosnia and Herzegovina in its efforts to join the EU.
The Czech Republic perceives Bosnia and Herzegovina’s EU membership application as a sign of the progress made in the past year in relation to the approval and implementation of the Reform agenda and the accompanying Action Plan. The submission of the application shows how far Bosnia and Herzegovina has come since the signing of the Dayton Agreement in 1995. We believe this important step will be helpful in solving open issues and will contribute to the progress in the implementation of the reform agenda, which is necessary for the country to further advance in the EU integration process as well as to improve the social and economic conditions for its citizens. The Czech Republic will seek to convince the General Affairs Council to ask the European Commission to prepare an opinion on the submitted application (avis) as soon as possible.