Spotlight: BiH submits application to join EU after constant delays

Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) on Monday formally submitted the application to join the European Union (EU), some 20 years after the bloody Bosnia War in 1990s.

CONSTANT DELAYS

The application came after constant delays due to internal fighting among political parties, namely Serbs, Croatia and Bosniaks.

The Balkan country was thrown into war in 1990s after the fall of Yugoslavia, with some 100,000 people reportedly killed.

In accordance with the Dayton Agreement that ended the war, BiH is made up of two entities, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) dominated by Bosniaks and Croats, and the Republika Srpska (RS) dominated by Serbs.

The arrangement gave two entities most resources, leaving the central government fragile.

Though BiH and the EU signed the stabilization and association agreement in 2008, the process of EU integration went nowhere afterwards as BiH parties failed to reach agreement on constitutional reform.

The issue was related to some parts of the constitution, under which the three-member presidency can only come from three constituent peoples: one Bosniak and one Croat elected from FBiH and one Serb elected from RS. The minorities were essentially denied.

In 2009, the European Court of Human Rights passed a ruling, asking BiH to adopt changes to the constitution. The EU has made the adoption of the ruling as a precondition for BiH to join the bloc, demanding constitutional reforms before application for membership.

BiH has failed to adopt the required reforms so far.

NEW ROAD MAP

There came a violent twist in February 2014, when thousands of angry citizens took to the streets to protest corruption and delays in reforms, burning dozens of government buildings, including the Presidential Building.

Over 200 people were injured, dozens of them seriously, in the most violent unrest since the Balkan state gained its independence.

The riot sent shock waves to the whole Balkan region while major powers inside the EU were alerted. The EU then initiated and adopted a new road map for BiH's integration after the uproar.

According to the new plan, BiH was required to pass a written declaration over reforms for the approval of the stabilization and association agreement.

In exchange, the EU promised to provide BiH with some 1.5 billion euros (1.67 billion U.S. dollars) for reforms and infrastructure upgrades.

On June 1, 2015, the stabilization and association agreement between the EU and BiH entered into force after the BiH parliament adopted the required documents with promises to carry out reforms.

The adoption of the stabilization and association agreement paved the way for the application, but there will be a long road ahead as BiH struggles with internal disorder and a poor economy. So far, BiH is lagging behind its neighbors in EU integration.

After BiH submitted its EU membership application on Monday, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and Commissioner for enlargement negotiations Johannes Hahn said "This decision follows months of hard work by BiH leadership ... It is a day of celebration for all of us."

They said in a joint statement that reforms improving economic growth and social justice, the rule of law and public administration need to be implemented in BiH.

"The functionality of BIH's institutions remains a priority, including through the effective and functioning coordination mechanism on EU matters," they said. Endit