The final decision on the formal start of accession negotiations will be made by EU leaders at the summit in Brussels at the end of next week, it says Radio Free Europe (RSE).
In her address to the members of the European Parliament, Von der Leyen assessed that Bosnia and Herzegovina has made the necessary progress in fulfilling the conditions for the next step towards the EU.
"Since we granted it candidate status in December 2022, Bosnia and Herzegovina has made impressive strides. "More progress has been achieved in one year than in the entire previous decade," Von der Leyen said.
The President of the European Commission listed five key areas in which BiH has made progress, among which are the country's full compliance with the EU's foreign policy, the adoption of reform laws, measures in the field of justice and migration management.
"An important law on preventing conflicts of interest that had been blocked for seven years, the Law on Money Laundering and Financing the Fight against Terrorism, was adopted. Negotiations on the agreement with the Frontex border agency will begin soon," said the President of the European Commission.
EU leaders decided in December that they would open accession negotiations with BiH "when the necessary level of compliance with the criteria for membership is met."
Fulfilling priorities
They called on the European Commission to submit a report to the European Council on BiH's progress by March.
In the earlier stages of the process, the EU set as many as 14 "priorities" and nine reform "steps" that BiH should fulfill in order to open accession negotiations, of which only some have been fulfilled so far.
Nevertheless, the opinion prevailed in the European Commission that a sufficient level of compliance has been achieved and that it is necessary to reward the previous performance.
Some member states, including Austria and Italy, insist that the progress of Bosnia and Herzegovina must go hand in hand with the progress of Ukraine and Moldova, while the Netherlands and others emphasize the principle of progress on merit.
Next week, both Ukraine and Moldova could take the next steps. The European Commission will present the negotiating framework for these two countries and an oral assessment of progress.
Diplomats in Brussels, however, estimate that an agreement on the negotiation framework for these two countries, which requires the consent of all 27 member states, could only be reached in June, after the elections for the European Parliament.
