The European Commission has recommended Bosnia and Herzegovina be granted candidate status to join the European Union, the bloc's chief Ursula von der Leyen has announced.

"Wind of change is once again blowing through Europe and we have to capture this momentum," the president of the EU's executive arm said on Wednesday. "The Western Balkans belong in our family and we have to make this very, very clear."

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The Commission chief told EU ambassadors: "Today we have proposed to grant candidate status to Bosnia and Herzegovina."

But she added: "Of course it is up to the candidate countries to reform their economies and their institutions and to advance towards our union."

In its annual report on EU enlargement, the Commission said the country's new status relied on Sarajevo bolstering democracy, the functionality of its state institutions, the rule of law, tackling corruption and organized crime, guaranteeing media freedom and boosting its migration management.

The other EU candidates

If the EU, which is made up of 27 member countries, approves the recommendation, Bosnia and Herzegovina would join seven other nations with candidate status: Türkiye, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, Moldova and Ukraine.

The process to join the EU can take many years as candidates apply reforms demanded by Brussels, and integration into the bloc can also stall, as is the case with Turkey's bid.

The decision to bring the country closer into the EU fold comes as some Western Balkans nations have started to lose patience over promises of entering the bloc, which some critics say has left space for other world powers like Russia to boost ties with the region.

Von der Leyen said the EU's opponents look at the Balkans as "a geopolitical chessboard" seeking to "drive a wedge between the region and the rest of Europe."

The commission will help all candidate countries in their accession bids, von der Leyen said, stating that "I think that is Europe's moment and it is up to us to seize that moment."

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, commenting on the decision to put the Balkan state up for candidate status, said Russia's actions in Ukraine had underlined the importance of EU enlargement.

"It is a long-term investment into peace, prosperity and stability for our continent," he said.