SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Friday pledged support for Bosnia as the troubled Balkan country grapples with the reform needed to move toward European Union membership.

Von der Leyen was in Bosnia as part of a trip this week to EU candidate states in the Western Balkans to reassure them that EU enlargement remains a priority for the 27-nation bloc. From Bosnia, von der Leyen went to neighboring Serbia.

The countries of the Western Balkans — Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia — are at different stages of their EU membership applications. Countries have been frustrated by the slow pace of the process, but Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 prompted European leaders to force the six to join the bloc.

Bosnia won candidate status in 2022, while EU leaders in March agreed in principle to open accession negotiations, although Bosnia still has a lot of work to do.

“We share the same vision for the future, a future in which Bosnia-Herzegovina is a full member of the European Union,” von der Leyen said at a joint press conference with Bosnian Prime Minister Bojana Kristo. “So, I would say, let’s keep working on it. We have already come a long way, we still have a long way to go, but I am confident that you will succeed.”

Last year, EU officials offered Western Balkan countries a €6 billion (about $6.5 billion) growth plan in an effort to double the region’s economy over the next decade and accelerate efforts to join the block. This aid is conditional on reforms that would bring their savings in line with EU rules.

The Commission approved the reform agendas of Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia on Wednesday after a green light from EU member states. This was a key step to enable payments under the growth plan upon completion of agreed reform milestones.

“The accession process is, as you know, merit-based … we don’t look at hard data, we look at the merits, the progress a country is making,” von der Leyen said. “The important thing is that we have an ambitious reform agenda, as do the other five countries in the Western Balkans. We are ready to help you move forward.”

Long after a 1992-95 ethnic war that killed more than 100,000 people and left millions homeless, Bosnia remains ethnically divided and politically deadlocked. An ethnic Serb entity – one of two equal parts of Bosnia joined by a joint government – ​​has sought to gain as much independence as possible.

Upon arriving in Bosnia, von der Leyen on Thursday first went to Donja Jablanica, a village in central Bosnia that has been devastated by recent floods and landslides. The disaster in early October left 27 dead and the small village was practically buried in stones from a quarry located on a hill above.

Von der Leyen said the EU was sending an immediate aid package of 20 million euros ($21 million) and would also provide reconstruction support later.