EU funds are coming from Brussels — but with conditions. By officially accepting the Reform Agenda, the European Commission has unlocked a €976.6 million financial package for Bosnia and Herzegovina, the last Western Balkan country still in the EU’s waiting room. Access to these funds will be gradual and strictly tied to implementing the reforms outlined in the agenda. In total, 114 measures across four key areas must be addressed.
At the same time, the authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina have little good news for Brussels. Two laws and the appointment of the chief negotiator — prerequisites for opening EU accession talks — remain stalled, due to persistent efforts by political actors in Sarajevo to centralize competencies and select a negotiator to their own liking. A new attempt is expected on Monday, when the Council of Ministers is scheduled to meet.
For months, Sarajevo’s political bloc — and occasionally members of the Serb opposition — has repeated claims that Serb representatives, and when convenient also Croat representatives, are blocking the EU path. These narratives have fueled political theatrics while ignoring measurable results. Of the 11 so-called “EU laws” adopted in this mandate, not a single one was drafted by those who most loudly criticized the process. All were written by those they accused. Brussels has now confirmed this through its acceptance of the Reform Agenda.
“This is the result of hard work by BiH officials and public servants, as well as their colleagues from the European Union. It involved months of difficult negotiations, dialogue, consensus building, and responsible decision-making in the public interest. This is a huge step for the country — but it is only the beginning,” said Luigi Soreca, Head of the EU Delegation to BiH.
Soreca expressed hope that the spirit of consensus that enabled the adoption of the Reform Agenda will also lead to agreement on two judicial-sector laws — the Law on the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council and the Law on the Court of BiH — as well as the appointment of the chief negotiator and the negotiation team, all of which are essential for officially launching accession talks.
“It is encouraging to hear that if an EU-required legal solution or directive is proposed, and if it harms the interests of the Serb people, you do not have to adopt it immediately. You must find a solution that meets EU standards while protecting our interests in Republika Srpska,” said Srđan Amidžić, Minister of Finance and Treasury in the Council of Ministers.
Yet political actors in Sarajevo continue to target the competencies of Republika Srpska — even when Brussels does not demand it. They appear eager to revive the era of Paddy Ashdown, who later admitted to secretly negotiating “reform processes” with the then chair of the Council of Ministers, Adnan Terzić, and persuading EU Commissioner Chris Patten to declare their private arrangements as European principles.
In the latest attempt to circumvent constitutional procedures, they tried to appoint a Serb chief negotiator directly through the House of Representatives instead of the Council of Ministers. Brussels ignored this maneuver entirely. Although time is passing, political games continue, and Sarajevo now insists that its version of the HJPC law takes precedence over the one drafted by the competent ministry.
“We must demonstrate commitment to reforms. Only then can we expect positive decisions from the European Council — including potentially the official opening of accession negotiations or a date for the first intergovernmental conference between BiH and the EU,” said Borjana Krišto, Chairwoman of the Council of Ministers.
The European Council meets on December 17. The Ministry of Finance is already preparing two key documents — the Loan Agreement and the Instrument Agreement — both required for the first €68.4 million pre-financing installment. The remaining €900 million-plus, of which nearly two-thirds are loans and the rest grants, will be disbursed in phases, depending on completed reforms.
“There are strict EU requirements, many of which conflict with the views of expert groups in BiH, as well as with the positions of the entities. We must try to find a compromise,” said Davor Bunoza, Minister of Justice in the Council of Ministers.
Republika Srpska’s position remains firm: compromise — yes; imposed centralization under the guise of the EU path — no.
“We will not allow even a millimeter of competencies to be shifted from Republika Srpska to the level of BiH. No amount of money justifies that,” said Staša Košarac, Deputy Chair of the Council of Ministers.
To access the promised EU funds, BiH must implement more than one hundred reforms — ranging from green and digital transition, private-sector development, and human capital, to rule of law, judicial independence, airport modernization, economic and educational reforms, and even the gradual phase-out of coal-fired power plants, which currently produce over two-thirds of the country’s electricity. It is an enormous task that would require years — even decades — in less complex political systems.
Despite this, some ministers have already begun making promises on how they will spend EU money. Edin Forto, for example, publicly announced that he intends to use funds from the Growth Plan to resolve the financial crisis at BHRT.
Source: RTRS
