Next elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) would not be recognized if the country do not implement the "Sejdic and Finci" ruling, European commissioner for Enlargement Stefan Fule warned on Thursday.

"It is one of the pre-conditions for an application for EU membership to be taken into consideration," said Fule, referring to the ruling.

He warned BiH is now at real risk of being left behind in its path to join the European Union (EU).

"The political leadership here has not prioritised the EU agenda and translated its declared commitments on the EU into concrete action. This is very disappointing."

Fule met high officials and leaders of major parties of BiH to discuss the implementation of the ruling by the European Court of Human Rights.

He also held talks with experts of the Counicl of Europe over solutions to the issue of "Sejdic and Finci" ruling.

The case of "Sejdic and Finci" ruling involved Dervo Sejdic, a prominent Bosnian Roma and vice president of NGO Kali Sara Roma Information Center, and Jacob Finci, a prominent Bosnian Jew and Bosnia's ambassador to Switzerland, who launched an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights on the basis that BiH's Constitution violates the European Convention on Human Rights.

Under the Constitution of BiH, the presidency, which consists of three members, can only come from three constituent peoples: one Bosniak and one Croat elected from the Federation of BiH and one Serb elected from RS.

The European Court of Human Rights passed a ruling in favor of Sejdic and Finci in September, 2009. The EU has made the adoption of the ruling as a precondition for BiH to join the bloc.