13/09/2024 Monitoring
PACE’s Monitoring Committee has congratulated the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina for the pace of reforms since 2022 – but said it remains concerned about “the lack of, or insufficient, progress in some areas crucial for the functioning of democratic institutions”.
Approving a draft resolution based on a report by Zsolt Németh (Hungary, EC/DA) and Aleksandar Nikoloski (North Macedonia, EPP/CD), the committee cited the conclusion of election observers in 2022 that “increasing segmentation along ethnic lines and the corresponding divergent views on the future of the country remain a concern for the functioning of democratic institutions”.
The parliamentarians lamented the fact that the 2022 elections were held, for the fourth time, under a legal and constitutional framework which was in violation of the European Convention on Human Rights. They again urged political leaders to pursue consultations on eliminating discrimination based on ethnic affiliation, or failure to meet a combination of ethnic affiliation and place of residence, in elections for the Presidency and House of Peoples.
They also expressed concern at the “deliberate failure” of the Republika Srpska authorities to implement final and binding decisions of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the obstruction to its functioning, undermining all three basic Council of Europe principles.
The committee set out a number of other recommendations to strengthen democratic institutions and the rule of law, as well as human rights in the country. A full debate on the report is due on Thursday 3 October, during the Assembly’s forthcoming autumn plenary session.
Bosnia and Herzegovina is one of ten Council of Europe member states subject to the Assembly’s full monitoring procedure, which involves regular visits, ongoing dialogue with authorities and occasional plenary debates on how far a state is honouring its Council of Europe obligations and commitments.