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European Union Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn is delivering to Bosnian authorities thousands of questions about the country's economy, politics, judiciary and bureaucracy that need to be answered satisfactorily in order for the country to be granted EU candidate status next year.

At a small ceremony on Friday, Hahn said the handover marks the conclusion of a very successful year on Bosnia's EU membership path.

Bosnia expressed the desire to join the Union 16 years ago but fulfilled the conditions for applying only last year after it committed itself to extensive economic and social reforms. Now it has six months to answer 3,242 questions mostly concerning its policy, the state of democracy and the judiciary before it is granted candidate status by Brussels.