 In March 2005 former Portuguese president Mário Soares launched a petition urging the European Union to start membership talks with Cape Verde, saying the country could act as a bridge between Africa, Latin America and the EU.Cape Verde's per capita GDP is lower than any of the current member states, accession countries, or candidate countries.However, it is higher than that of some of the EU-designated "potential candidate countries" of the Western Balkans like Bosnia and Herzegovina.