Membership of the European Union has long represented 1 of the primary abroad policy objectives of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). The country’s commitment to European integration is rooted in both political and economical considerations. The European position of Bosnia and Herzegovina was formally confirmed at the Thessaloniki Summit in 2003, where the Union reaffirmed that the future of the Western Balkans (WB) lies within the EU framework. In February 2016, BiH formally submitted its application for membership in the Union, and in December 2022 the European Council granted the country its official candidate status.
Optimism of the public
The aspiration to join the EU besides enjoys broad public support. According to a public opinion survey conducted by the Directorate for European Integration, 71.2 per cent of citizens support BiH’s accession to the EU. Respondents most frequently associate membership with greater economical opportunities, freedom of movement, improved surviving standards, and stronger organization governance. specified levels of support show that European integration remains 1 of the fewer strategical objectives capable of attracting consensus among a crucial condition of the country’s population. Consequently, the granting of candidate position generated considerable optimism regarding the acceleration of reforms and the possible of bringing Bosnia and Herzegovina closer to full EU membership.
While the public thought that the euphoria of candidacy position might lead to the increased fulfilment of responsibilities and fast entry to the Union, the reality was far from it. Although the European Council decided in March 2024 to open accession negotiations with BiH, this decision was accompanied by continued emphasis on the implementation of the fourteen key priorities identified by the European Commission in 2019. peculiar emphasis was placed on areas specified as the regulation of law, democratic institutions, public administration reform, and the fight against corruption. advancement in fulfilling these requirements remained uneven. respective key legislative reforms, including judicial reforms, anti-corruption measures, and electoral legislation, continued to face delays due to disagreements among home political actors and the country’s complex organization framework. At the time that the candidate position was gained, only a limited number of required priorities were fulfilled. akin concerns persisted throughout 2024 and 2025. Reports monitoring the country’s European integration process highlighted limited advancement in implementing promised reforms, while many measures remained blocked by political disputes between different levels of government and competing organization interests. European officials repeatedly stressed that the pace of accession would depend not on political declarations but on the concrete adoption and implementation of reforms. As the European Council president António Costa emphasized during his visit to Sarajevo, it remained the work of the home authorities to find whether they would accelerate the fulfilment of the conditions essential for EU membership. Consequently, the optimism that followed candidate position gradually gave way to concerns that Bosnia and Herzegovina’s European way was one more time being slowed by longstanding governance challenges and limited political consensus.
The 113 promises
One of the most notable developments in 2025 was the eventual adoption of the improvement Agenda 2023–27. Bosnia and Herzegovina finalized this paper more than a year after the another WB countries due to prolonged political disagreements among home actors. The improvement Agenda has become 1 of the central instruments through which BiH is expected to show its commitment to the European integration process. The paper contains 26 reforms, 113 improvement steps, and 372 circumstantial activities distributed across 4 policy areas: green and digital transition, private sector improvement and business environment, human capital development, and the regulation of law and democratic governance. The implementation period extends until 2027, with clearly defined milestones and deadlines that are subject to monitoring by the European Commission. Crucially, the disbursement of funds under the EU Growth Plan is conditional upon the successful completion of these improvement steps. Bosnia and Herzegovina is expected to receive about 1 billion euros through the mechanism, but access to these resources depends on demonstrated advancement alternatively than political commitments alone. As of June 2026, BiH has not delivered on any of the 113 promises. Failure to implement the agreed reforms may so consequence in delayed or reduced financial support, while besides undermining the country’s credibility within the accession process and slowing its advancement towards EU membership.
Lagging behind
Bosnia and Herzegovina’s way towards the European Union illustrates the persistent gap between political ambition and applicable implementation. The granting of candidate position in 2022 and the beginning of accession negotiations in 2024 represented historical milestones that generated optimism among both citizens and policymakers. These developments created a unique political momentum that could have been utilized to accelerate reforms, fulfil key obligations, and safe crucial financial support through the EU Growth Plan. Instead, much of this momentum was lost amid acquainted patterns of political disagreement, organization fragmentation, and delayed decision-making. The failure to deliver on any of the 113 improvement commitments by mid-2026 raises serious questions about the country’s capacity to translate formal advancement into tangible results. This is peculiarly concerning erstwhile compared to another Western Balkan countries, most notably Albania and Montenegro, which have made considerably faster advancement in their accession processes. If current trends persist, BiH risks falling further behind its regional peers and missing a strategical chance to advance its European integration. The country’s future within the European Union remains achievable, but only if political actors show a greater willingness to prioritize reforms over short-term political interests. Otherwise, the optimism that accompanied candidate position may yet be remembered as another missed chance on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s long road to EU membership.
Aida Topić is simply a Bachelor of Arts in global Relations and European Studies. Currently, she is enrolled at the University of Maribor, completing her Master’s degree in European Legal Studies. At the same time she is acting as an Intern at the Institute of European Studies at the University of Wrocław.
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