EU halves aid to Bosnia over lack of progress

(SARAJEVO) - The European Union is to halve its financial aid to Bosnia over the nation's lack of progress with reforms needed to join the bloc, a Brussels official said Tuesday.

EU member states voted in favour of slashing the aid allocated to Bosnia for 2013 over that country's failure to change its constitution to give ethnic minorities more rights.

"Eighty-seven million euros ($120 million) was foreseen initially, and the Commission proposed to reduce this by 45 million euros", European Commission official Joost Korte told reporters in Sarajevo.

"EU member states were consulted on this proposal and voted in favour," Korte said, adding the decision would be finalised by Christmas.

Under the internationally-brokered peace deal that ended Bosnia's 1992-1995 war, only its Muslims, Croats and Serbs are considered "constituent peoples" with the right to apply for top state and legislative positions.

In 2009, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that this discriminated against other ethnic groups, notably Jews or Roma.

The European Commission subsequently requested that Bosnia amend its constitution in order to remove a provision that discriminates against the two groups, and other minorities, in political life.

But leaders of the Muslim, Serb and Croat groups have so far failed to reach a compromise on the reform, which is a key condition for Bosnia to apply for candidacy to the 28-nation bloc.