Between April and August 2023, the Aspen Institute Germany and the Southeast Europe Association conducted the project “Bosnia and Herzegovina 2023: How to Breathe Life into the EU Integration?”, which was supported by the Federal Foreign Office. The highlight of this project was a high-level international conference held on June 26, 2023, in Berlin. The primary focus was on developing and publishing groundbreaking recommendations formulated by the participants of this conference.
The months leading up to the conferencewere crucial for the future of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Despite positive political momentum following parliamentary and presidential elections in October 2022 and the granting of EU candidate status in December 2022, crucial challenges remained, including blocked institutions, vested interests, corruption, and ethnic tensions. Therefore, numerous reforms are necessary.
The conference aimed to develop concrete ideas on how the reform process in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as its EU integration, could be supported, how the role of civil society could be strengthened in the process, and how the international community could assist Bosnia and Herzegovina in this endeavor. To do so, the Aspen Institute Germany and the Southeast Europe Association invited members of academia, politics, economy, and civil society from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany, and the international community to a conference in Berlin.
To encourage lively discussion, the conference centered around four working groups: Functioning Democratic Institutions, Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption, Media Freedom and Fundamental Rights, and Economic Development. In these groups, the individuals were able to exchange their views on the present situations and future prospects that relate to their specific subject. The working groups were initiated with an opening panel, followed by input from civil society, and concluded with a closing panel where each group presented their ideas and suggested solutions.
Key topics and questions of the conference included: How can reform efforts in Bosnia and Herzegovina be meaningfully supported? How can structural problems and inertia in the country be overcome? How can the instruments of the international community be used efficiently? How should incentives and conditioning be balanced? What role should civil society play and how can it be supported?
Bosnia and Herzegovina – New Government, New Reform Effort?
White Paper
This white paper presents the outcomes and suggestions from the international conference on Bosnia and Herzegovina held on June 26, 2023.
