EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele has confirmed that €96 million of funding from a special Balkans assistance package will be allocated to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Previously, Fuele had suspended the allocation after political infighting broke out between leaders in Bosnia’s two semi-autonomous entities, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, FBiH, and the Republika Srpska, RS.

The funds are part of a larger €498 million set aside in the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance, IPA, an aid package aimed at helping countries seeking membership in the European Union undertake necessary reforms.

“Commissioner Füle is pleased to confirm that an Agreement has been reached on the use of €96 million of the Instrument for Pre-Accession allocation foreseen for BiH in 2011. The Commissioner informed that he received a letter from the Chair of the Council of Ministers, Mr [Nikola] Spiric, on Friday afternoon, confirming the agreement among all stakeholders on the allocation of the remaining €8.2 million which were still under discussion,” a statement from the European Union Special Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina website read.

The EC statement further indicated that the political squabbling which threatened the allocation highlighted the necessity of improving Bosnia’s political set-up.