The road that Bosnia and Herzegovina is on is the road taking it to the integration into European Union (EU), said Slovenian representative in the European Parliament Igor Soltes.

Speaking for N1’s Novi dan programme, MEP Soltes said Bosnia’s status of candidate for the EU membership will depend on the pace of reforms the country has to carry out.

“It’s not a secret that Bosnia and Herzegovina is a dynamic country for many things – economic, political social – but when we read the messages for Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as the draft (report) for this year, which will be discussed at the next European Parliament session, we can see there are many areas in which significant progress that matters for life in Bosnia and Herzegovina has not been achieved yet,” explained Soltes.

European Union will provide assistance but the key is in the hands of Bosnia’s authorities, who must make a step forward towards agreement on what to do next, according to the European MP.

Obtaining the candidate status by the fall this year is possible but a lot needs to be done to get there.

“We all hope it will happen because it is important for stability both in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in the region. But there is a lot to do, to meet certain conditions Bosnia and Herzegovina obliged to,” he added.

The sectors that Bosnian authorities must work on are the public administration sector, the rule of law, judicial system as well as combatting the crime and corruption, Soltes recalled.

Asked if the international community is sufficiently engaged in the country and if its representatives could do more, he replied they could.

“Before everything, to warn more clearly about the things that could be fixed.”

Bosnia should stay among top EU priorities even after the upcoming election in the Union, said Soltes, adding that he is an optimist.

“We who are dealing with the issues of so-called Western Balkans are trying to convince our colleagues parliamentarians to keep the issue of Bosnia and Herzegovina and other countries to remain a top priority even after the election, and that the enlargement-related discussions should not be taken off the agenda, because one should never underestimate the Western Balkan countries – I’m always telling that to my colleagues,” said Soltes adding that he is an optimist.

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