BELGRADE, Serbia

It is time for Bosnia and Herzegovina to start its accession negotiations with the European Union, said Greece’s foreign minister on Tuesday.

“The (European) Commission has decided to recommend the initiation of accession negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is time for Bosnia and Herzegovina to initiate negotiations with the EU,” said Giorgos Gerapetritis after meeting with Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic Radman in Zagreb, the Croatian capital.

Gerapetritis told a joint press conference that EU membership for countries in the Western Balkans would be a catalyst in ensuring prosperity, stability, and peace in the region.

Radman expressed satisfaction that Athens and Zagreb are on the same page on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s EU membership process.

According to Radman, a positive decision on Bosnia and Herzegovina will encourage Croatia and the entire Western Balkans and it further strengthen the EU's position in the region.

Last week, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the commission will recommend the European Council start EU accession negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Bosnia and Herzegovina applied for EU membership in 2016 and was granted EU candidate status in December 2022.