The European Union’s Foreign Affairs Council met in Brussels on Monday to discuss Europe’s relationship with BiH. The meeting followed the first official visit to BiH of EU Foreign Affairs Chief Federica Mogherini and European Commissioner for Enlargement Johannes Hahn.
During the meeting, the Council adopted a set of conclusions on BiH. Most importantly, the Council confirmed a key element of the new German-British initiative, which is that BiH leaders must provide the EU with “irrevocable written commitment to undertake reforms in the framework of the EU accession process.” Once such a commitment is provided, the Foreign Affairs Council “will decide on the entry into force of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement,” a move that would free up additional funds for BiH.
The exact process by which BiH’s multiple levels of government are meant to agree to such a commitment is not clear. The EU’s conclusions state that the commitment should be “agreed by the BiH Presidency, signed by the BiH political leaders and endorsed by the BiH Parliament.”
