The process of accession of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the European Union: between Daytonization and Europeanization

In 2022, Bosnia and Herzegovina was granted EU candidate status, and in 2024 accession negotiations officially began. Yet its path remains one of the most complex in the region: the political system, a legacy of the Dayton Accords, clashes with EU standards for stability and governance. Amid nationalist drift, institutional paralysis, and renewed internal tensions, the country is torn between centrifugal forces and European aspirations. In this context, the EU plays an unprecedented role—mediator, pressure-maker, and transformer. Bottom-up cooperation and the emergence of local governance open alternative integration paths. The accession process, far from being a technical exercise, becomes a test for the very viability of the Bosnian state. This analysis explores whether, how, and at what cost Europe can represent a credible horizon for Bosnia and Herzegovina.