Bosnia, Ukraine: Two countries affected by war, two very different EU paths
European leaders' decision to let Ukraine and Moldova be candidates to join the EU is something Bosnia and Herzegovina has been vying for since the end of the 1992-1995 war in the country.
The Bosnian war was considered the bloodiest on the European continent since World War II until Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February of this year.
Rumours floated around Brussels last week that Bosnia might also be given candidate status, backed by statements from figures such as Austrian chancellor Karl Nehammer who said the country deserved to be included as well.
But, in the end, it did not make the cut.
Bosnia has been considered a contender since at least 2005 when it opened its Stabilisation and Association Agreement negotiations with the bloc.
All the countries on the European Union's eastern and southeastern borders experienced some form of conflict in the past three decades, including the Western Balkan region, Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia.
The current push in Brussels to overlook its stringent accession criteria and reforms — which many of the Balkan hopefuls such as Bosnia, North Macedonia and Montenegro have gone through to varying degrees — for the sake of including countries at risk of becoming targets of Russian influence or escalations, lit a spark of hope in Bosnia.
Last-minute efforts on Thursday evening by the likes of Austria, Slovenia and Croatia to bump Bosnia up the ladder of accession have launched a debate over the efficiency of Bosnia's post-war political system, while also forcing a hard look at the internal failures of the country.
Prior to Russia's full-scale invasion, countries like Bosnia were considered ahead of Ukraine in terms of their EU prospects. Many had signed several
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