The European Commission recommended on Wednesday granting Bosnia and Herzegovina candidate status for membership in the European Union. The Commission made the decision "on the understanding that a number of steps are taken." The country now joins Albania, Moldova, the Republic of North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Turkey, and Ukraine, which are currently candidates.
Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi urged the leaders of Bosnia and Herzegovina to "make the most of this historic opportunity and swiftly proceed with the steps identified in our recommendation." This process will in turn "restart the work on reforms and the fulfillment of the 14 key priorities set in the Commission's Opinion, which remain key for opening accession negotiations."
