Brussels, 12 October 2022 (dpa/MIA) — The European Commission recommended EU candidate status be awarded to Bosnia-Herzegovina subject to reforms and conditions in a report published in Brussels on Wednesday. EU Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Várhely urged leaders in Bosnia "to make the most of this historic opportunity" and progress reforms in his announcement statement. EU candidate status is the first step in a long and complex path to membership of the European Union and requires the unanimous approval of all EU member states. The EU executive arm reviews candidacies. The commission's conditional backing for Bosnia follows a similar approval for Ukraine and Moldova in June. Austria, among others, had urged the bloc to also consider Bosnia during the deliberations. In 2003, the EU identified the West Balkan country as a potential candidate. In 2016, Bosnia submitted an application for EU membership. In 2019, the commission published a report identifying 14 areas requiring reform in Bosnia to advance entry into the bloc. A follow-up report from the EU executive arm found little progress. The next step in the path to membership is the opening of formal accession talks, a step which again requires the approval of all EU member states and may take years. Albania and North Macedonia began entry negotiations after years of delays, having received EU candidate status in 2005 and 2014 respectively. Turkey is another example of the fitful journey towards EU entry. Named an official candidate in 1999, membership talks are now effectively frozen.