Soreka: Bosnia and Herzegovina is falling behind in EU accession process

Bosnia and Herzegovina is falling behind its neighbors in the race toward European Union membership, according to Luigi Soreca, the EU’s ambassador in the country. While Montenegro and Albania are closing negotiating chapters at a fast pace, Bosnia and Herzegovina has yet to complete a ratification needed to turn promised reforms into practical benefits.

Soreca made the remarks in Sarajevo while opening the Sarajevo Security Conference 2026, held under the theme “Europe’s Security in a Divided World.” He said this year had set a record for the accession process, with the EU allocating 42.6 billion euros for enlargement in the next budget period.

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While Montenegro and Albania are closing negotiating chapters at a fast pace, Bosnia and Herzegovina is lagging behind.

But Bosnia and Herzegovina, he said, has still not ratified the agreement that would allow its Reform Agenda to become reality through the Western Balkans Growth Plan. Soreca said some countries in the region were making exceptional progress by using the plan’s tools, while Bosnia and Herzegovina continued to lag.

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Candidate countries owe their citizens the implementation of the necessary reforms.

He also linked the country’s security to wider European security. Citing recent comments by EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas that “the rules have been thrown out the window,” Soreca said the EU remained committed to international law and would not allow anyone to evade justice. “Candidate countries owe their citizens the implementation of the necessary reforms,” he said. “Our long-term goal is to choose peace, stability and security, and that goal determines the direction of our action, not in the distant future, but today.”

Soreca warned that war near Europe, instability in the Middle East and changes in the U.S. approach were pushing Europe to rely more on its own capabilities. He said all European NATO members now spend more than 2% of GDP on defense, while European forces are due to take key NATO command positions from February 2026. At least half of defense equipment is planned to come from European suppliers, and Europe’s annual ammunition production capacity is now six times higher than three years ago.

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Our long-term goal is to choose peace, stability and security, and that goal determines the direction of our action, not in the distant future, but today.

He described EUFOR as essential to peace and stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina and said the country also had defense-industry potential. More than 200 companies in the region can produce ammunition to NATO standards, he said, while foreign interference is becoming more intense and the Western Balkans must contribute to Europe’s security.

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War on Europe’s doorstep, instability in the Middle East and changes in the American approach are forcing the old continent to rely more on its own capabilities.