BiH to apply for EU membership by end of year

BiH Foreign Minister Sven Alkalaj said on Friday that his country will submit its EU membership application by the end of this year. The statement came after a meeting with EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele in Brussels. Alkalaj said BiH cannot afford any further delays on the road to the EU. “We would like to submit our application for candidate status by the end of this year because this would allow us to continue reforms. We cannot waste any more time,” Alkalaj said.

Fuele stated that the EU wants BiH to be a stable country with a clear European perspective, but pointed to some obstacles. He urged consensus among BiH politicians and made particular point of necessary amendments to the country’s constitution.