Key facts
- Bosnia and Herzegovina's EU ambassador is Obrad Kesić.
- Kesić warns against reallocating EU funds from struggling candidate countries to better-performing ones.
- He believes this approach risks increasing anti-EU sentiment.
- Kesić stated that the accession process could become a competition.
- He argued that countries undertaking reforms need support, not punishment.
Obrad Kesić, the EU ambassador for Bosnia and Herzegovina, has voiced strong opposition to the potential reallocation of European Union funds away from candidate countries that are struggling with reforms. He argues that shifting financial support from these nations to better-performing ones is the wrong approach and could have detrimental consequences for the EU's enlargement policy. Kesić believes that such a move would likely fuel anti-EU sentiment within the struggling nations, potentially undermining public support for the accession process. Furthermore, he expressed concern that this strategy could inadvertently turn the process of joining the EU into a competitive race, rather than a collaborative effort focused on shared values and reforms. The ambassador stressed that countries actively engaged in implementing necessary reforms need encouragement and assistance to succeed. He posited that support, not punishment or the withdrawal of resources, is the most effective way to foster progress and ensure the successful integration of candidate countries into the European Union.