In the grand hallways of the European Union, Bosnia and Herzegovina remains suspended in a limbo of geopolitical calculations, internal political interests, member-state skepticism, and the stark reality that not enough has been done to persuade the European Commission to recommend the start of accession negotiations.
The EU’s November 8 announcement on accession talks rings with the familiar tune of conditioned progress. When measured against the gap between the professed European integration mantras of domestic politicians and concrete reform efforts, this tune could well become the anthem of a protracted exhaustion in meeting the preliminary conditions even to commence the process.
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, has delivered a message tinged with both hope and the weight of fluid contingencies: Bosnia and Herzegovina may start negotiations “once it achieves the necessary degree of compliance with EU criteria”.
