In order to analyse Bosnia and Herzegovina’s EU integration effort, the CEU Center for EU Enlargement Studies (CENS), Department of International Relations and European Studies (IRES) and the Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Hungary organized a public lecture on 14 November 2011 entitled “Bosnia and Herzegovina on the path towards the EU accession: Statehood and identity”. The lecture was delivered by Ambassador H.E. Nikola Đukić to a distinguished group of diplomats, ambassadors, students and university professors. The Ambassador touched upon a large number of issues ranging from the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina, consequences of the 1992-1995 war, the Dayton Peace Agreement, to the current obstacles that stand in the way of the political, social and economic progress.

Petér Balázs, Director of CENS and former Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs, started his opening speech by welcoming the audience and highlighting the fact that many of the obstacles that affect the country’s internal politics and stand in the way of its EU accession process are actually the problems BiH inherited from the former Yugoslavia.

Ambassador Đukić began the lecture by providing a brief outline of the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina, reminding the audience of the crucial dates for the establishment of today's country. He first referred to the 1995 Dayton Peace Agreement which divided the country into two entities. He further mentioned the consequences of the 1992 war which witnessed the loss of some 100,000 people, more than half of the population displaced (2.2 million) and an influx of refugees from neighboring countries. Ambassador Đukić then outlined some positive achievements at the national level which prove that BiH and its authorities can successfully cooperate together if there is a common goal. Some of those events are: the first elections entirely administered by the BiH authorities, the reform of military, the signing of the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA), the permanent seat in New York and the recent visa liberalization process.

The three main challenges Bosnia and Herzegovina currently faces, and which are at the same time requirements for the EU candidate country status, are the following: first, holding a census (the last census in BiH was held in 1991); second, forming the Council of Ministers (the expected date to do so is 15 December 2011) and fulfilling the State Aid requirements. These prerequisites are not only essential for the EU accession, but also for the country to be ready for Croatia’s entrance into the EU.

The lecture was followed by a question and answer session.