Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Progress on EU Membership

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Assessment of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Progress towards EU Membership

The report provides an assessment of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s progress in preparing for EU membership. Here are the key findings:

Public Procurement: Bosnia and Herzegovina has made some level of preparation and progress in aligning with the EU acquis.
Disaster Management: The country has shown a clear commitment to disaster management, improving its civil protection system and joining the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) as a full member.

Competitiveness and Inclusive Growth:
- Taxation: Limited progress.
- Digital transformation and media: Limited progress.
- Social policy and employment: No progress.
- Enterprise and industrial policy: No progress.
- Science and research: No progress.
- Education and culture: No progress.
Economic and Monetary Policy: Backsliding observed.
Statistics:
- Census preparations have hardly progressed.
- Macroeconomic statistics deviate from the EU acquis.
Resources, Agriculture and Cohesion:
- Agricultural and rural development: Limited or no progress.
- Food safety, veterinary and phytosanitary policy: No progress.
- Fisheries: No progress.
- Financial and budgetary provisions: No progress.

Socio-economic Reforms: Introduce reforms to address structural weaknesses.
Rural Development Strategy: Prepare and adopt a post-2021 countrywide strategy for rural development.
Legislation Alignment: Align legislation on food safety, veterinary and phytosanitary policy.
Administrative Capacities: Strengthen administrative capacities.
CEFTA Protocols: Implement additional protocols on trade facilitation and trade and services.

Bosnia and Herzegovina can benefit from IPA funding in the future if it adopts countrywide sector strategies. Adopting these strategies remains a key requirement for benefiting fully from IPA funding.