The day you become an EU citizen

Bosnia and Herzegovina formally applied to join the European Union.

The European Council granted Bosnia and Herzegovina candidate-country status.

Leaders agreed to open accession negotiations once the necessary reforms are in place; the framework is still pending.

Negotiations are not yet formally open: the negotiating framework has yet to be presented and adopted, and the first Intergovernmental Conference has not been held. Under the 2025 Enlargement Package, the country needs to adopt the judicial-reform laws (the Law on Courts and the Law on the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council), appoint a chief negotiator and develop a national plan for the adoption of the EU acquis — the steps the Commission says are key to presenting the negotiating framework and starting screening — and to urgently finalise the pending constitutional and electoral reforms.