The upper house of Bosnia's parliament on Monday approved the going into force of a pre-membership agreement with the European Union (EU), paving the way for its EU membership.

The House of Peoples gave the consent for ratification of the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA), signed in June by Bosnia and the European Commission, the Bosnian news agency FENA reported.

The SAA was approved on Oct. 22 by the House of Representatives, the lower house of Bosnia's parliament.

Under the Bosnian Constitution, the SAA has to be ratified by the country's three-member presidency as well.

The adoption of the SAA in the Bosnian parliament is a prerequisite for its ratification in EU countries.

The SAA, if properly implemented, is regarded as the first rung on the long path towards eventual membership of the 27-member bloc.

Bosnia completed the SAA negotiations with Brussels in November2006 and the document was initialed last December.

The European Parliament in October adopted a resolution, calling on EU countries to ratify the SAA with Bosnia-Herzegovina as soon as possible.

(Xinhua News Agency October 28, 2008)