Zagreb, 17 December 2024 (Hina/MIA) — The Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina on Friday endorsed two important bills that should enable the country to begin accession negotiations with the European Union, a process that has been awaited since March.

The ministers unanimously voted in favour of the Personal Data Protection Bill and the Border Control Bill, and forwarded them to the state parliament for urgent adoption. This is the result of Bosnian Serb ministers deciding to end their boycott, which began last week in protest at Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti's visit to Sarajevo.

The European Commission had insisted on the adoption of these laws, treating them as prerequisites for the next step in the EU integration process, namely the formal opening of negotiations, for which the European Council had given its approval nine months ago, contingent on the continuation of reforms.

The bills received support just ahead of a meeting with Western Balkan leaders scheduled for Wednesday in Brussels by European Council President António Costa, to discuss the integration process and the participation of these countries in the Growth Plan, aimed at stimulating further reforms and accelerating their path to full EU membership.

The Chair of the Council of Ministers, Borjana Krišto, can now attend this meeting with at least some positive results.

Foreign Minister Elmedin Konaković said that the two endorsed bills are essential for defining the negotiating framework and starting EU negotiations, while Defence Minister Zukan Helez noted that there are now prospects for BiH to receive a start date for negotiations with the EU in January.

"These are two very important, perhaps even the most important bills at this stage of European integration," Helez said in an interview with the Dnevni Avaz news website. He emphasised that the Border Control Bill is of very high quality, while in the Personal Data Protection Bill deadlines are not fully specified, but he believes that it is still in line with EU legislation.

The Personal Data Protection Bill regulates the protection of individuals regarding the processing of personal data for the purposes of investigations, crime detection, and the prosecution of offenders in accordance with the decisions of the European Parliament and the European Council. The Border Control Bill defines all issues important for border surveillance.