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SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina (AP) – The Spanish prime minister on Saturday expressed his support for Bosnia’s accession to EU membership candidate. conflict in the 1990s’.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez came to Sarajevo from Serbia, where he kicked off his tour of the Balkans on Friday. Sanchez will also travel to Montenegro, North Macedonia and Albania.
“In my meetings today, I wanted to highlight the opportunity that Bosnia and Herzegovina would have if the European Union took enlargement with a new sense of urgency,” Sánchez said at a news conference.
But Bosnia, dominated by nationalist politicians long after the war of 1992-95 ended, is embroiled in political and ethnic disputes that have brought EU accession to a standstill. The Bosnian Serbs, backed by Russia, have sought greater independence for their Serb-led half of the country, while disagreements between the Bosniaks, who are mainly Muslim, and Croats have blocked the normal functioning of their joint entity.
The political deadlock has raised concerns that Bosnia could face further ethnic divisions if it lags behind in the EU process. Some regional leaders have called for Bosnia and Ukraine and Moldova to be granted candidate status in June to demonstrate the EU’s commitment to the unstable region.
Sanchez said Spain supports Bosnia’s “European perspective”. He expressed hope that the country would take the necessary steps to become a candidate for membership by the time Spain takes over the rotating EU presidency in the second half of 2023.
“At the last European Council (meeting) I told my fellow heads of government (of) my full support for Bosnia and Herzegovina’s designation as a candidate country.” said Sanchez.
Sanchez also noted the Srebrenica massacre in July 1995, when Bosnian Serb forces executed more than 8,000 Bosniaks months before the war ended, a crime that has been labeled Europe’s only genocide since World War II.
More than 100,000 people were killed and millions displaced in the 1992-95 war in Bosnia before it ended in a US-brokered peace deal.