On July 11, 1995, Srebrenica โ a small Yugoslav spa town, now located in Bosnia and Herzegovina โ became the site of Europe’s last genocide of the 20th century. Thirty years later, the town, whose population is now 60 percent Bosniaks and 40ย percent S…
On July 11, Bosnia and Herzegovina commemorates the massacre of 8,000 Bosniaks by the forces of Serb General Ratko Mladic. Yet in a country still divided between Muslim Bosniaks, Catholic Croats and Orthodox Serbs, the work of remembrance remains far f…
Three decades on, as leaders deny what happened, remains of the thousands killed continue to be identified and buriedThree decades after genocide was committed in the middle of Europe, memories in the rest of world are beginning to fade, helped along b…
Today, the landscape looks picturesque โ but it holds memories of the largest mass killing since the second world war. A photojournalist meets some of the Bosnian Muslim survivors building new lives alongside this legacyBehind battle-ruined houses, the…
Three reports adopted on Wednesday highlight the urgent need for EU-related reforms, effective use of the Growth Plan and a decisive stance against foreign interference.Committee on Foreign Affairs Source : ยฉ European Union, 2025 – EP
During the decade-long conflicts, the major powers dithered as Serb militias carried out their brutal campaigns of ethnic cleansing. Guardian reporters became more passionate and more outspoken in their condemnation, attracting praise and criticismBy I…
Health experts in Bosnia and Herzegovina are warning there is a serious public health problem in the capital.
Health experts in Bosnia and Herzegovina are warning there is a serious public health problem in the capital.
Republika Srpskaโs president faces being banned from office for separatist actions, but may yet cling to powerThe members of the elite Hungarian police unit crossed the border in civilian clothes, putting on their uniforms only once they had reached th…
Germany was the only EU state to appoint a special representative for the region, but will now abolish it, Euractiv has learned.ย
TikTok trend is inspiring tourists to seek out cheaper locations such as Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina It will take more than a TikTok trend to break Britonsโ love affair with Mediterranean beaches. But latest figures show travellers are increa…
During the decade-long conflicts, the major powers dithered as Serb militias carried out their brutal campaigns of ethnic cleansing. Guardian reporters became more passionate and more outspoken in their condemnation, attracting praise and criticismAmon…
In an exclusive interview with Euronews, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkoviฤ voiced strong support for Bosnia and Herzegovinaโs accession to the European Union, while also expressing concern over ongoing political instability in the region.
People rarely think about Europeโs criss-crossing energy system. We tell you how it works, what went wrong (and right) on Monday and what happens next.
Tensions are rising in the Western Balkans, Europe’s ‘other hotspot.’ Britain’s foreign affairs chief David Lammy sees the ‘long hand of Russian interference.’
Bosniaโs most wanted man turns up in Russia after Sarajevo requested Interpol issue a red notice for his international arrest.
Vaccination rates plunged during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Moscow supported Milorad Dodik after he banned the judiciary and security forces in Serb-majority regions following his conviction, sparking sharp condemnation from the U.S. and the EU.
Creating criminal content with AI is a growing problem for law enforcement.
Milorad Dodik says he will not accept any conviction after his repeated calls for Serb-run part of Bosnia to join SerbiaA court in Bosnia has sentenced the pro-Russia Bosnian Serb president, Milorad Dodik, to one year in prison and banned him from poli…
Milorad Dodikโs decades-long disruptive reign in Bosnia may be over as a top court bans him from politics and sentences him to prison.
Bosnia’s Serb political leader Milorad Dodik was sentenced to one year in prison and banned from holding public office for defying the decision of the fragile country’s international peace representative.
If Milorad Dodik, President of Republika Srpska, is convicted to a prison sentence by a Sarajevo federal court, the Serbian autonomous entity could find itself further distanced from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Former British ambassador in Washington will help lead a summit this fall tackling illegal migration.
“In that hotel in Melbourne I was fed with some food that poisoned me,โ Serbian champ says about his infamous Covid detention.
Jasmin Elezoviฤ says he and his family would not be who they are today without War Child, the charity that grew out of bitter conflictDonate to our charity appeal hereJasmin Elezoviฤ was six years old when his home became a war zone.It was 1993 and the…
The Republika Srpska assembly wants its representatives to boycott votes in joint state bodies until what it claims is a “politically motivated process” against its leader Milorad Dodik is ended.
The post Bosnia’s Serb lawmakers halt EU accessio…
Confession met with scepticism after other war criminals made similar statements to win early release from prisonA Bosnian Serb general jailed by the Hague war crimes tribunal for the 1995 Srebrenica massacre has confessed to having โaided and abetted …
Milorad Dodik, the pro-Russian president of Bosnia’s autonomous Serb Republic (RS) who has long advocated the region’s secession from Bosnia, is already under US and UK sanctions.
Road to a European future: Bosnia and Herzegovina speeds up highway construction
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen kicked off a four-day trip to the Western Balkans, where she will meet with the leaders of Albania, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, and Montenegro to discuss their progress tow…
In Lewis Packwoodโs book Curious Video Game Machines, Voja Antoniฤ explains how he built a console and published instructions for anyone to make their ownVery few Yugoslavians had access to computers in the early 1980s: they were mostly the preserve of…
Professor Steve Peers, Royal
Holloway University of London
Photo credit: viewsridge,
via Wikimedia
commons
Introduction
Along with judgments on Afghan
women asylum seekers (discussed here)
and the status of Turkey as a โsafe third coun…
โHere in Zenica we are all sick, only some donโt know they are sick yet.โ Those were the words of an activist I met on my first trip to Bosnia in 2019.ย Two yearsย later, he died of lung cancer. That was when โ and largely why โ this project started. Zenica, a city of roughly 100,000 [โฆ]
Bosnia and Herzegovina held local elections on Sunday for both cities and municipal councils, just days after flooding killed at least 16 people.
The floods follow an unprecedented summer drought which caused many rivers and lakes to dry up, and affected agriculture and the supply of water to urban areas throughout the Balkans and much of Europe.
Rescuers search for missing after huge volumes of rain fall in area around Jablanica and Konjic, causing sudden floodingRescue teams are searching for survivors after flash floods and landslides hit parts of Bosnia, killing at least 16 people and injur…
At least 14 people died in floods in Bosnia and Herzegovina on Friday and others were missing as torrential rain and landslides destroyed homes, roads and bridges across the centre of the country, officials said. Bosnia’s presidency said it had request…
Revealed: a small but growing number of Chinese people are travelling to the Balkans with the hope of getting into the EU In a sleepy Bosnian town, barely five miles from the border with the European Union, a crumbling old water tower is falling into r…
Youth brain drain is becoming a worrisome problem for the Western Balkan countries of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Kosovo and Serbia.
The days when Viktor Orbรกn could block negotiations on a whim should be over โ and the western Balkans should finally benefit Russiaโs invasion of Ukraine has revived EU expansion as an imperative. For years, โenlargementโ has been a low priority โ Cro…
To see the kids kicking balls around at the international tournament in Croatia is more than just a joy; itโs a miracleEven though I didnโt know Graham Norton, I ended up playing simultaneous chess alongside Nemanja Vidiฤ. I should explain. A couple of…
The journey from destruction to reconstruction, from poverty to prosperity, is never easy. As the Mostar Bridge shows, itโs possible. With commitment, partnerships, and support, we can help more countries cross the bridge to a peaceful and prosperous f…
The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF on Tuesday (23 July) urged Bosnia’s authorities to raise the measles vaccination rate among children after two adolescents in the Balkan country died in an outbreak of the highly infectious respiratory ill…
Formerly sedate attempts at electricity market integration in South-Eastern Europe have been given a new dynamism amid a concrete EU perspective โ and a looming punitive CO2 duty.
EU candidate countries from the continent’s South and East are meeting in Bosnia and Herzegovina today, 3 July, to reinforce efforts to integrate with the blocโs energy markets to avoid potential tariffs on power exports to the EU.
Fedja Stukan says he was not allowed to enter country after writing โdangerous bookโ on his experience in 1990s warA Bosnian actor who was deported from Serbia this week has said he believes he was expelled for writing openly about his experience in th…
A major power outage hit Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania and most of Croatia’s coast on Friday (21 June), disrupting businesses, shutting down traffic lights and leaving people sweltering without air conditioning in the middle of a heatwave.
The move could hinder Savajevo’s European accession progress, Slovenian President Nataลกa Pirc Musar warns.
An ally of Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik called the move retaliation for support of a U.N. resolution on Srebrenica.
The Bosnian Serb government late Tuesday (28 May) withdrew a controversial draft law aimed at creating a register of non-profit groups getting international funding to designate them as foreign agents, officials said.
While Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is not ready for EU accession, the United Nations High Representative for Bosnia, Christian Schmidt, told Euractiv that EU leaders must be aware the country could be at great risk if the accession process is further d…
The UN General Assembly will vote Thursday (23 May) on establishing an annual day of remembrance for the 1995 Srebrenica genocide, despite furious opposition from Bosnian Serbs and Serbia.
Decades later, Belgrade is still determined to control the narrative over the slaughter of over 8,000 Bosniaks in 1995 during the Yugoslav war and mold it to its own interests.
Reaching a consensus on memorializing the past in a way that doesnโt sow division is the best way to ensure it does not โ and cannot โ happen again.
Serbian government ignores criticism to ink agreement.
Ending genocide denial is more relevant than ever, however, the opportunity is being squandered as politicians fail to confront and process the past in a responsible way.
The most important responsibility for election management bodies today is to build and sustain votersโ trust in the integrity of the electoral process โ and tech companies can help.
Bosnia’s international peace overseer on Tuesday (26 March) imposed changes to the country’s election law to ensure its integrity, including barring convicted war criminals from running, ahead of a vote in October.
Leaders of the bloc caution that the country will have to undertake more reforms before the next step can beginEU leaders have agreed to open negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina on joining the bloc, while also stressing the Balkan country would ha…
The bloc has given the green light to start membership talks with the country, eight years after it first applied.
The bloc has given the green light to start membership talks with the country, eight years after it first applied.
Member states gave the political green light for the opening of accession talks with Bosnia and Herzegovina, but noted the need for further progress.
Bosnia and Herzegovina is a step closer to entering formal talks on its accession to the European Union after the blocโs 27 leaders green-lighted the move on Thursday.
EU leaders gave the political green light on Thursday (21 March) for opening membership talks with Bosnia and Herzegovina but also made clear the Western Balkan country would have to undertake more reforms before the actual talks could start.
EU leaders are set to give the political green light to open accession talks with Bosnia and Herzegovina on Thursday (21 March), but the outcome still hangs in the balance as several member states aim to tie the decision to progress on Ukraine and Mold…
The European Commission last week gave a positive recommendation to start formal accession negotiations, which EU leaders now plan to follow.
As EU leaders face a tough call this week whether to move with the next steps for Ukraine and Moldova or risk a delay until after the EU elections, progress on Bosnia and Herzegovina is expected to complicate matters further.
The EU has a lot of preparation to do before adding new members, but would rather get the European election out of the way first.
Eight years on, the EU Commission is to recommend on Tuesday that member states open accession talks with Bosnia and Herzegovina after the country took “impressive steps” to meet the bloc’s standards, Ursula von der Leyen said.
The European Commission will today recommend opening EU accession talks with Bosnia and Herzegovina, eight years after the Western Balkan country applied to be a member of the bloc.
The European Commission is expected to recommend that Bosnia-Herzegovina start accession talks on Tuesday (12 March), according to people familiar with the matter.
The Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina unanimously adopted and sent to parliament the draft law on the prevention of conflicts of interest in the state institutions, one of the key reform laws the EU insists on so the European Council can d…
Elmedin Konakoviฤ stresses the “geopolitical” context of the bloc’s decision later this month.
European Parliament resolution calls for an independent investigation of December’s election.
NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoanฤ on Thursday (1 February) reaffirmed the Alliance’s support for Bosnia during a visit to Sarajevo, condemning the “secessionist policies” of Bosnian Serb leaders.
Antje Kunst*
Photo credit: Jan-Tore
Egge, via Wikimedia
Commons
Introduction
The Court of Justice of the
European Union in its judgment in Jenkinson
v Council and others ( Case C-46/22 P) of 18 January 2024 dismissed the
appeal brought by Mr…
If Bosnia and Herzegovina does not open accession negotiations in March, not only will it lose the whole of 2024 on the way to the EU, but it may also never get the chance to negotiate membership again, Croatian MEP ลฝeljana Zovkoย warned in an interview…
In a letter sent to the heads of diplomacy of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, Gordan Grliฤ Radman and Elmedin Konakoviฤ, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called on them to influence the head of HDZ BiH, Dragan ฤoviฤ, to urgently adopt the L…
A group of women victims of Bosnia’s 1990s war pressed charges on Thursday (11 January) against organisers of a rally glorifying Ratko Mladiฤ, the wartime army chief given life in prison over war crimes, including genocide.
Ratko Samac is wanted by authorities over atrocities.
Bosnian Serbs marked on Tuesday (9 January) their self-proclaimed “national day”, disregarding condemnations and warnings that the holiday violated Bosnia’s constitution and put peace at risk.
Brussels has sounded the alarm over celebrations planned in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s post-war Serb region, the Republika Srpska, to mark its breakaway anniversary.
The nationalist leader of Bosnia’s post-war Serb region said on Monday (8 January) he had no plans to seek secession, appearing to step back from earlier calls for a breakaway republic just as the United States stepped up pressure against him.
Two US fighter jets flew over Bosnia as parts of the country prepared to mark the anniversary of the proclamation of Republika Srpska as a breakaway stateTwo US fighter jets flew over Bosnia on Monday in a gesture of support for the country on the eve …
Our commitment and destiny lie within the EU, but the speed of our journey towards membership will directly impact democracy and the living standards of our citizens, Member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Denis Beฤiroviฤ writes.
Sami Barkal filmed border guards beating fellow asylum seekers and is challenging Croatia in Europeโs court of human rightsA Syrian refugee who secretly filmed Croatian border guards beating his travel companions is to take Croatiaโs authorities to the…
Air quality in the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina is so bad some people are wearing masks.
Piedmont town near French border is now best budget ski resort in Europe for adults, figures showThe ski resorts of Bulgaria have long been seen as the best option for British skiers hoping to hit the slopes on a budget. Borovets and Bansko might not h…
Soon after independence, we welcomed a Bosnian refugee family to our home. Now more and more Slovenes are heeding far-right mythsOne weekend in July 1993, when independent Slovenia was two years old, my father announced over breakfast: โAna, our life w…
Decision after hours of tense negotiations in Brussels is critical boost to Volodymyr ZelenskiyThe EU has decided to open membership negotiations with Ukraine, in an unexpected move that will be a critical boost to Volodymyr Zelenskiy and deal a blow t…
In a resolution on enlargement policy, Parliament calls it one of the strongest geopolitical tools at the EUโs disposal and a strategic investment in peace and security.Committee on Foreign Affairs Source : ยฉ European Union, 2023 – EP
Whether it’s Ukraine, Russia, or even the Israel-Hamas conflict, the impression in EU circles is that the pair are singing from the same songbook.
Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani issues plea for some movement as countries’ membership bids stall.
In a visually impressive documentary, film-maker Stefan Pavlovic spends time with a fisherman and former soldier living in an abandoned churchGrowing up in Montreal in a Bosnian household, Stefan Pavlovic yearned to connect with his family origins, a l…
Enlargement may offer Europe greater security, but its price is change with daunting financial and political costsEuropean Union leaders are coming around to the geopolitical necessity of embracing Ukraine, Moldova and western Balkan countries as futur…
Councilโs commissioner for human rights says some people prosecuted in the Hague for war crimes โreturn to their communities as heroesโThe failure of the countries of the former Yugoslavia to address their violent past has had devastating consequences …
The Neretva, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, is one of the most biodiverse rivers on the continent โ supporting bears, wolves, lynx and many rare species โ but more than 50 planned dams could permanently transform the ecosystemAt the bottom of a ravine, nea…
Strategic metals are key for the European Union as it looks to reduce its dependence on Chinese or Russian raw materials. However, a flagship mining project in Bosnia and Herzegovina is stirring anger among some residents.
Croatians and Serbs at odds after name of airport changed to 18th-century polymath Ruฤer BoลกkoviฤThe renaming of Dubrovnikโs airport has ignited a new ethnic row between Croatians and Serbs, this time over the lineage of one of the ancient port cityโs …
