Articles

Analysis of Data Protection Regulations and Institutional Framework in B&H – Overview of Current Solutions and Comparison with the EU General Data Protection Regulation

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a legally binding instrument of the European Union (EU) that replaced the Data Protection Directive (the Directive). The Law on the Protection of Personal Data in Bosnia and Herzegovina (the Law) is not harmonised with the GDPR since the legislator followed the Directive when enacting the law. Certain … Continued

Is Reconciliation a Priority for Bosnia and Herzegovina?

Author: Lejla Gačanica In the Commission Opinion on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s application for membership of the European Union, the fifth priority under the democracy area reads: “take concrete steps to promote an environment conducive to reconciliation in order to overcome the legacies of the war”. The EU recognises in this document that the political environment … Continued

Will Bosnia and Herzegovina’s candidate status be sufficient motivation for the authorities to seriously begin working on European integration?

Author: Denis Čarkadžić In mid-December last year, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) was granted candidate status for membership in the European Union (EU). Emphasising the “current geopolitical context”, the Council of the EU underlined in their decision the urgency for BiH to move forward on the EU path, primarily by fulfilling the 14 key priorities for … Continued

Statement of the Initiative for Monitoring the European Integration of B&H: Amendments to the Criminal Code of the RS further restrict the already threatened freedom of expression

The Initiative for Monitoring the European Integration of B&H strongly opposes the adoption of the Draft Law on Amendments to the Criminal Code of the Republika Srpska, published on the website of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Srpska on 03/03/23. The aforementioned amendments, which, among other things, criminalize defamation, are contrary to … Continued

The European Parliament and the Enlargement Process: Advocacy Space for Civil Society

Author: Hata Kujraković The rapporteur of the European Parliament for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Paulo Rangel, will soon present to the European Parliament’s (EP) Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) the draft Resolution on the 2022 Commission Report on Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). Every year, the relevant resolutions describe the positions of BiH and other Western Balkans … Continued

Together Against Restriction of Rights and Freedoms

Author: Dejan Lučka Last week, Banja Luka hosted a conference entitled “How much freedom we’ll be left with?”. The conference was directly motivated by the announcement of legislative amendments in the Republika Srpska, introducing defamation and insult as criminal offenses, as well as the adoption of a law on fake news and expansion of criminal … Continued

Obligation to Protect Journalists and the Media from Violence and Threats as Part of BiH’s European Integration

Author: Harun Išerić Attacks and threats against journalists: a brief overview The hotline for journalists, operated by the BH Journalists Association, recorded 70 reported cases of violations of journalist rights and media freedoms in 2021, including 16 cases of physical and verbal attacks and threats. Online space is the dominant source of attacks and threats … Continued

Migration and Asylum Management in the Context of EU Integration

Author: Nedim Kulenović Improving the migration and asylum policy management system is emerging as one of the critical issues on BiH’s path to EU integration. The challenges that the country encountered in 2018-2019, as well as during the pandemic, highlighted all the shortcomings of the current system. These risks remain, and authorities must act quickly … Continued

What is the Impact of the Action Plan for Social Inclusion of Roma in BiH?

Author: Sanela Bešić The Western Balkans Prime Ministers adopted the Declaration of Western Balkans Partners on Roma Integration within the European Union (EU) Enlargement Process and regional cooperation in 2019 (the so-called Poznan Declaration). Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) has pledged to continue and strengthen efforts for full equality and integration of Roma through the implementation … Continued

Sign up to participate in the conference “EU Candidate Status for BiH: Between Merits and Expectations”

The Initiative for Monitoring the European Integration of BiH and the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung in BiH are organizing a conference on the occasion of receiving the European Commission’s recommendation for granting BiH candidate status. The conference “EU candidate status for BiH: Between merits and expectations” will be held on November 29, 2022 in Sarajevo at … Continued