Within ‘Our European Family’? The Role of the Local EU Delegation as an Intermediary in EU-Bosnia and Herzegovina Relations

This paper explores the role of the local EU Delegation as an intermediary in EU-Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) relations. As a candidate country, BiH is on the path towards EU membership. Yet, political statements show that distance remains a key feature in bilateral relations. By taking a perceptual approach and building on qualitative interviews, this paper finds that there are significant expectation-performance gaps in EU-BiH relations. While both sides express high expectations, they also see a lack of action and credibility on each other's part. The extent to which the local EU delegation in BiH acts as an intermediary in EU-BiH relations is perceived to be limited, mostly because local counterparts express criticism regarding its openness to local perspectives, thus reinforcing views of otherness. The paper offers relevant insights for the study of EU Delegations as well as for the EU's relations towards enlargement countries.