EU urges Bosnia to publish 2013 census results

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina – EU officials say Bosnia must publish the 2013 census results by July if it wants to proceed on its path toward EU membership. Further delays would diminish the accuracy of gathered data.

For two years the publishing of the data has been delayed because Bosnian Serbs demand that those who are registered at addresses in Bosnia but work or go to school abroad be stripped of their residency status.

This would violate the EU-recommended methodology and it would leave many victims of ethnic expulsions during the 1992-95 war out of the country's economic and social planning.

After months of quarreling, the country's statistic agency decided to apply the EU's recommended methodology without Serb approval. The head of the EU statistic agency, Pieter Everaers, welcomed the decision Thursday.