What changed

A. whereas Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is a candidate country that aspires to Euro-Atlantic integration as a path to sustainable peace, democracy and long-term prosperity; whereas according to recent opinion polls 70 % of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s citizens are in favour of EU membership;

B. whereas each candidate country is judged on its own merits;

B. whereas Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has weakened the security situation in Europe and further highlighted the strategic position of the Western Balkan countries in the European security architecture; whereas Bosnia and Herzegovina has close relations with NATO;

C. whereas BiH remains under international oversight established under the Dayton Peace Agreement;

C. whereas each candidate country is judged on its own merits in fulfilling the established Copenhagen criteria;

D. whereas the enlargement process is a peace project that requires a functional, democratic and multi-ethnic BiH in which all citizens enjoy equal rights and opportunities; whereas the continued blockades and secessionist rhetoric undermine this goal and the European perspective of the entire country;

E. whereas the positive effects of enlargement can be especially beneficial in helping BiH to overcome its long-standing internal challenges;

F. whereas the EU remains the main political and economic partner of the Western Balkan countries; whereas the EU continues to be BiH’s biggest trade and investment partner;

G. whereas BiH remains under international oversight as established under the Dayton Peace Agreement which ended active hostilities and established a foundation for peace in the country, and which continues to form the foundation of BiH’s institutional set-up and was intended as a safeguard for the equality of its three constituent peoples;

H. whereas to safeguard and strengthen the peace achieved through the Dayton Peace Agreement and enable BiH to become a full and functioning member of the EU, moving to a next stage of post-Dayton constitutional arrangement is needed, which will strengthen unity in this multi-ethnic country and give full rights and responsibility for the decision-making process to its citizens alone;

I. whereas the Strategic Compass stated that as a matter of security and stability, it is of particular interest to support the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of BiH;

J. whereas BiH is a multi-ethnic state in whose territory different religions and peoples have lived together for centuries in an environment of tolerance and mutual respect; whereas linguistic and cultural diversity is one of the fundamental principles of the EU;

K. whereas Milorad Dodik visited the United States in early February 2026 and met with senior US officials; whereas several members of the Republika Srpska entity administration were removed from the US sanctions list; whereas the Republika Srpska entity engaged foreign lobbying firms and such contractual arrangements have been reported as aiming to secure international support for secessionist objectives concerning the status of the Republika Srpska entity within BiH;

1. SupportsStrongly reaffirms its support for BiH’s EU accession on the basis of unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity; recalls that progress is merit-based, requiring the implementation of sustained and credible reforms to meet the Copenhagen criteria, protect democratic institutions, guarantee democracy, uphold the rule of law, combat corruption and organised crime, and ensure respect for fundamental rights and equalitynon-discrimination for all citizenscitizens, andincluding constituent peoples;peoples, regardless of ethnic, religious or other affiliations;

2. Urges BiH’s political leaders to reaffirm their commitment to the strategic objective of EU accession and deliver the necessary reforms and steps set out by the Commission, with a view to opening accession negotiations without further delay;

2. Reaffirms BiH’s significance in the Western Balkans; calls on the Commission to mobilise the necessary diplomatic, political and cultural instruments to strengthen BiH’s strategic partnerships with the EU and support regional integration with full respect for sovereignty and international cooperation;

3. Highlights the BiH Parliament’s key role in the accession process; encourages it to prioritise EU-related reforms and engage in constructive dialogue to ensure an effective, unobstructed legislative process; calls for the adoption of the Law on the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of BiH and its Law on Courts, in line with European standards;

3. Underlines that the EU must remain both demanding and fair in assessing the country’s progress against the accession criteria;

4. Calls on the Council of Ministers of BiH to promptly appoint a chief negotiator for BiH’s EU accession negotiations; encourages the BiH authorities to coordinate across all levels for harmonised alignment with the EU acquis;

4. Supports BiH’s gradual integration into selected EU policies and programmes prior to full membership, on the basis of progress on reforms; believes that such gradual integration delivers tangible benefits to BiH citizens, strengthens their trust in the EU accession process and creates irreversible momentum toward full membership;

5. Regrets the continued prevalence of political divisions, secessionist efforts and state capture, which, decades after the war, erode public trust and accelerate brain drain;

5. Urges BiH’s political leaders to renew and reaffirm their commitment to the strategic objective of EU accession and to deliver on the long-overdue, necessary reforms and steps set out by the Commission in a credible, substantive and timely manner, without further delay or political obstruction, while ensuring that accession efforts contribute to political cohesion and do not exacerbate internal divisions, with a view to opening accession negotiations once the necessary preconditions have been credibly met;

6. Welcomes the decisions of the Republika Srpska (RS) entity’s assembly to repeal laws found unconstitutional by BiH’s Constitutional Court; condemns continued inflammatory and derogatory rhetoric and secessionist policies pursued by the RS entity’s leadership, which weaken BiH and undermine its accession path;

6. Calls for an end to obstructionism, politically-motivated uses of entity vetoes, counterproductive rhetoric and divisive tactics that hinder progress and divert attention from EU-related reforms; encourages all leaders to engage constructively to meet citizens’ aspirations and overcome the impasse; stresses that progress on BiH’s accession path ultimately depends on the political will and ownership of authorities at all levels of governance; recalls that BiH’s political actors have previously demonstrated their capacity to reach consensus and deliver key reforms;

7. Welcomes BiH’s continued full formal alignment with the EU’s common foreign and security policy, including on sanctions following Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, and urges their effective implementation and enforcement;

7. Highlights the key role of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH in the accession process; encourages it to prioritise EU-related reforms and engage in constructive dialogue to ensure an effective, unobstructed legislative process; is deeply shocked and concerned about the politically-motivated obstruction and repeated blockages that have significantly hindered the functioning of the state-level legislature and delayed the adoption of EU-required legislation; calls for the adoption of the Law on the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of BiH and the Law on Courts, with due regard to the recommendations of the Venice Commission and following a meaningful and inclusive public consultation process, and in line with European standards;

8. Reiterates its support for the Office of the High Representative and EUFOR’s Operation Althea, and, while regretting BiH’s continued reliance on these institutions, recognises their vital role in safeguarding peace and stability;

8. Stresses that, in candidate countries with complex constitutional arrangements, such as BiH, key reforms affecting the functioning, independence and competencies of state-level institutions must not be rushed or politically instrumentalised; underlines that accelerated procedures or pressure to meet political timelines must not jeopardise legal quality, institutional integrity or the constitutional division of powers; emphasises that reforms that diminish the effectiveness of central institutions cannot be considered as progress on the path to EU membership;

9. Is concerned by malign disinformation and foreign interference efforts by third-country actors in BiH; calls on BiH to take decisive steps to counter these threats and strengthen societal resilience;

9. Calls on the Council of Ministers of BiH to promptly appoint a chief negotiator for BiH’s EU accession negotiations, in line with the recent rulings of the Constitutional Court of BiH and in full respect of the constitutional competences and legal order of BiH; encourages the BiH authorities to coordinate across all levels for harmonised alignment with the EU acquis;

10. Welcomes BiH’s engagement in the EU-BiH Stabilisation and Association Parliamentary Committee;

10. Calls on BiH to revise, before the establishment of the domestic framework for EU accession negotiations, the decision on the system of coordination of the European integration process so as to ensure a more functional, efficient, transparent and accountable system, including through the alignment of voting rights with constitutional competences, the introduction of accountability mechanisms and clear criteria for appointments, and the adoption of the National Programme for the Adoption of the Acquis, or an equivalent integration programme, as a roadmap for the accession process;

11. Calls on the BiH authorities to ensure that the establishment of the domestic framework for EU accession negotiations is transparent and inclusive, with meaningful mechanisms for dialogue with civil society and social partners;

12. Regrets the continued prevalence of political divisions, hate speech, including incitement to ethnic, religious and racial intolerance, denial of genocide and other war crimes, glorification of war criminals, secessionist efforts by the leadership of the Republika Srpska (RS) entity and state capture, which, decades after the war, erode public trust, accelerate brain drain, and paralyse the country;

13. Takes note of the decisions of the RS entity’s assembly to repeal laws found unconstitutional by BiH’s Constitutional Court; condemns the continued inflammatory and derogatory rhetoric and secessionist policies pursued by the RS entity’s formal and de facto leadership, the hostile conduct by public officials towards high-ranking public officials, civil society organisations, the political opposition, and other independent voices in society, as well as the celebration of the so-called Republika Srpska Day, which weaken BiH and undermine its accession path and are a direct violation of the Dayton Peace Agreement;

14. Denounces the RS entity authorities’ ongoing engagement with Russian official and sanctioned entities, highlighting risks to BiH’s security and stability; urges all RS entity political actors to engage constructively within state institutions and prioritise the reforms necessary for BiH’s European path; strongly condemns any lobbying efforts by the RS entity government aimed at securing international support for its secession, or challenging the mandate of the High Representative, as such actions are in direct violation of the BiH Constitution and contradict the country’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and European path;

15. Calls on the Council and the Commission to consider all available tools, including targeted restrictive measures under the existing EU sanctions framework for BiH and its successive renewals, against individuals responsible for serious and persistent obstruction of democratic institutions, the reform process, territorial integrity and the process of integrating with the EU; stresses that such measures must be proportionate, reversible and designed not to affect the population;

16. Encourages the Commission to increase its on-the-ground engagement with the aim of promoting dialogue, building trust and advancing regional integration;

17. Welcomes BiH’s continued full formal alignment with the EU’s common foreign and security policy, including on sanctions following Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, and urges the sanctions‘ effective implementation and enforcement by all political actors; welcomes BiH’s continued participation in EU crisis management and operations;

18. Welcomes the unanimous adoption of the 2025 Reform Programme of Bosnia and Herzegovina by the BiH Council of Ministers and welcomes BiH’s continued engagement within NATO’s Partnership for Peace framework; encourages the country’s institutions to continue implementing the priorities and obligations stemming from this cooperation in order to strengthen institutional capacity, security cooperation and Euro-Atlantic integration and strengthen the country’s defence preparedness;

19. Reiterates its support for the Office of the High Representative and the European Union Force (EUFOR) Operation Althea, and, while regretting BiH’s continued reliance on these institutions, recognises their vital role in safeguarding peace and stability in BiH and the region and supports their mandates until national-level accountability structures have been put in place; regrets the continuing necessity to renew EUFOR Althea’s mandate more than 30 years after the Dayton Peace Agreement and encourages BiH to fulfil the overdue 5+2 agenda commitment to pave the way for an end to international oversight; calls on all eligible Member States to enhance their participation in the EU peacekeeping missions, such as EUFOR’s Operation Althea in BiH; underlines the importance of maintaining adequate force levels and situational awareness, including monitoring of the evolving political and security environment; emphasises that the mission remains a key stabilising factor in the country;

20. Regrets the resignation of High Representative Christian Schmidt and stresses that any future transition regarding the Office of the High Representative should be based on full respect for the constitutional order, sovereignty and territorial integrity of BiH, while supporting greater local ownership and institutional responsibility for advancing along the country’s European path; underlines that, in light of the EU’s substantial financial contribution, any future High Representative should be appointed from an EU Member State and should operate on the basis of a clear roadmap towards the gradual closure of the Office of the High Representative and the transfer of responsibilities to the EU Special Representative; underscores that any such resignation must not be linked to, or conditioned upon, the repeal of legislation adopted in response to secessionist actions or unconstitutional measures promoted by Milorad Dodik;

21. Remains concerned by malign disinformation and foreign interference efforts by third-country actors in BiH, which aim to sow discord, violence, interethnic tensions and destabilise BiH and its accession path; is particularly worried by the continuous disinformation operations emanating from Russia and Serbia, and targeting the Western Balkans in general, which are also being pushed by domestic actors, as well as to a lesser extent from Türkiye, Iran and other Gulf countries; also expresses concern about China’s growing economic and political influence in the region, in particular through strategic infrastructure and lending; calls on BiH to take decisive steps to counter these threats and strengthen societal resilience, including by working towards aligning with the Digital Services Act5 to develop strategies, capacities and coordination mechanisms to respond to election-related and other risks in the digital information space, in line with the objectives of the European Democracy Shield; calls on BiH to further develop and implement comprehensive and inclusive media literacy initiatives across the education system;

22. Stresses the importance of strategic communication on the benefits of EU membership; calls on the European External Action Service and the EU Delegation in BiH to intensify efforts in this regard and for enhanced EU-funded assistance measures in support of democratic resilience and information integrity; highlights the crucial role of civil society organisations in promoting face-to-face public discourse on EU integration, countering disinformation and facilitating informed public debate, and calls on the Commission and EU Member States to involve them in strategic communication efforts;

23. Recalls that security and stability throughout the Western Balkans is still not a given and that there is a risk of potential spillover from the current deterioration of the European security situation; underlines the need to proactively counter malign actors’ propaganda in the region, which aims to undermine EU interests and values;

24. Welcomes BiH’s engagement in the EU-BiH Stabilisation and Association Parliamentary Committee, in fulfilment of one of the 14 key priorities set out by the Commission;

25. Invites the European Commission and the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina to fully adhere to Council Decision (EU) 2015/1900 of 5 October 20156, in particular the provisions relating to the composition and representation of members of the Stabilisation and Association Committee, and to ensure its full and effective implementation in practice;

11. Regrets that BiH political actors have still not enacted the necessary constitutional and electoral reforms to ensure that all citizens can exercise their political rights;

26. Regrets the fact that BiH political actors have still not enacted the necessary constitutional and electoral reforms to ensure that all citizens can exercise their political rights on an equal basis; repeats its call on BiH to align with the European Convention on Human Rights and implement the relevant rulings of the BiH Constitutional Court and the European Court of Human Rights to eliminate all inequality and discrimination; urges all political authorities and institutional representatives to work on introducing the necessary changes through genuine dialogue, and inclusive process and comprehensive consultations with citizens, civil society, independent experts and all relevant stakeholders in the country to enable a sustainable transformation of the Dayton Peace Agreement into a constitution, fully in line with European standards and principles with a view to ensuring a functional, accountable and representative governance system with popular legitimacy; reiterates that any electoral reform must not deepen or cement ethnic divisions;

12.27. Urges the BiH authorities to implementimplement, without further delay, international recommendations to strengthen the integrity, credibility and transparency of the electoral process, including onduring the pre-election phase, in particular regarding party and campaign financing, political advertising and campaigning, safeguards against manipulation and disinformation in information disseminated to the public, party registration;registration, measures to ensure gender equality, and provisions related to modern electoral technologies, such as biometric voter identification and ballot screening; calls for sustainable funding of the Central Election Commission;

13. Emphasises that, while decentralisation is compatible with EU membership, BiH needs to align its constitutional framework with EU standards and ensure that its institutions function effectively to fully assume EU membership obligations;

28. Calls on the BiH authorities to ensure the politically independent appointment and effective vetting of polling board presidents and deputy presidents and prevent the circumvention of rules on non-partisan polling board leadership, to regularly audit voter registers and turnout anomalies, and to ensure timely investigation and effective sanctioning of electoral fraud, including identity theft, forged signatures and implausible turnout patterns, as well as balanced media coverage and effective oversight of public service broadcasters during election campaigns;

14. Urges the RS entity to respect and implement BiH Constitutional Court rulings and uphold the constitutional order;

29. Emphasises that, while decentralisation is compatible with EU membership, BiH needs to align its constitutional framework with EU standards, European Court of Human Rights and BiH Constitutional court rulings and ensure that its institutions function effectively in order to fully assume EU membership obligations and benefit of all citizens, including through greater legal certainty in the distribution of competences, effective state-level capacity to coordinate, adopt, implement and enforce the EU acquis, and institutional arrangements capable of preventing persistent blockages and the abuse of veto mechanisms;

15. Stresses the central role of the rule of law in democratic transformation; calls for urgent judicial reform to strengthen the judiciary’s independence, professionalism, accountability and efficiency;

30. Urges all authorities, notably in the RS entity, to respect and implement BiH Constitutional Court rulings and uphold the constitutional order and proceed without delay with the appointment of the missing judges from the RS entity to the BiH Constitutional Court;

16. Notes with concern the limited progress made in tackling widespread corruption and rising signs of state capture; urges the political authorities to take immediate and concrete measures at state and entity levels, and to strengthen cooperation between anti-corruption bodies, the police and the prosecution service;

31. Stresses the central role of the rule of law in democratic transformation; calls for urgent judicial reform to strengthen the judiciary’s independence, professionalism, accountability and efficiency, including through a legal framework that strengthens the integrity, independence, financial stability and functioning, and transparency of the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council, sets out safeguards on appointments, conflict of interest, assets and interest declarations and term limits; stresses that all judicial appointments in BiH should be based on merit, competence and professional qualifications;

17. Calls on BiH to address systemic gaps in combating organised crime by improving operational cooperation among law enforcement bodies at state and entity levels; welcomes enforcement operations supported by Europol;

32. Notes with concern the limited progress made in tackling the widespread corruption and rising signs of state capture, which is a structural problem deeply rooted in the country’s highly complex governance system based on ethnicity; urges the political authorities to take immediate and concrete measures at state and entity levels and to strengthen cooperation between anti-corruption bodies, the police and the prosecution service, in order to tackle corruption and state capture more effectively so as to restore public trust and reverse brain drain; calls for independent and transparent judicial follow-up, with the judiciary being protected from political interference, intimidation or selective enforcement;

18. Urges BiH to address gaps in its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing frameworks in order to avoid grey listing;

33. Calls on all levels of government in BiH to align their legal and institutional frameworks for the protection of whistleblowers with the relevant EU acquis and to fully enforce them in practice; further calls on the authorities at all levels to ensure the professional, rights-based and non-intimidating treatment of reporting persons, including through systematic training and awareness-raising for public officials who receive and process reports, so as to prevent practices that undermine trust in reporting mechanisms, including the questioning of the motives of whistleblowers; urges BiH authorities at all levels to improve and fully enforce rules on conflicts of interest;

19. Calls on BiH to align with EU visa policy and to apply additional security measures in the interim;

34. Calls on BiH to address systemic gaps in fighting organised crime by improving operational cooperation between state- and entity-level law enforcement bodies, their investigative capacity, investigations and asset seizure and confiscation, and tackling political capture; welcomes enforcement operations supported by Europol; is concerned about vulnerabilities to criminal infiltration in the political and legal systems;

20. Calls for a strong public administration and a professional and depoliticised civil service with merit-based appointments, as well as strengthened capacities for entity-level reform coordinators and nationwide policy coordination;

35. Urges BiH to address gaps in its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist (AML/CFT) financing frameworks in order to avoid grey listing, including by adopting the necessary bylaws required for the effective implementation of the AML/CFT law, and by swiftly establishing registers of beneficial ownership for legal persons, in particular by ensuring immediate action by the entities and Brčko District, fully in line with the EU acquis and MONEYVAL recommendations;

36. Calls on BiH to align with EU visa policy and to apply additional security measures in the interim; calls, furthermore, on BiH to improve its border security and migration management, fully in line with human rights standards and international law;

37. Calls for a strong and efficient public administration and a professional and depoliticised civil service with solely merit-based appointments, for strengthened capacities for reform coordinators at entity level and at local level, given that this is where citizens have their first point of contact, and nationwide policy coordination, and for digitalisation of public administration to reduce politicisation and inefficiency;

38. Stresses the need for further efforts in implementing public financial management and public administration reforms and addressing continued administrative capacity constraints through sustained EU investment in high-quality capacity development and knowledge-sharing frameworks built on existing good-practice models by the EU and international partners; calls on BiH authorities at all levels, in particular the executive, to ensure transparency and public access to information throughout all stages of decision-making, including through the timely publication of draft acts and related documents, as well as concordance tables on alignment with the EU acquis, and through meaningful public consultation in line with European standards of open government and accountability;

39. Underlines the essential role played by civil society organisations in the enlargement process and in fostering democracy and pluralism and promoting good governance and social progress; underlines that the meaningful, structured and continuous participation of civil society organisations with a proven track record and sectoral expertise should be ensured throughout all stages of the accession process; calls on BiH authorities at all levels to strengthen the transparency, accountability and integrity of public funding for civil society organisations, including through mandatory public calls, clear and measurable award criteria, proactive publication of data on beneficiaries and allocated funds, the establishment of public grant registers, and safeguards against conflicts of interest, political influence and the misuse of funds for partisan or campaign-related purposes; calls on the BiH authorities and the Commission to ensure increased, transparent and sustainable funding for civil society, including initiatives aimed at overcoming societal divisions, fostering reconciliation and strengthening interethnic dialogue;

21. Stresses that free and pluralistic media underpin democracy; is alarmed by the shortfall in funding for BiH’s public broadcaster and urges the authorities to secure its sustainable financing;

40. Stresses that free and pluralistic media underpin democracy; is alarmed by the persistent shortfall in funding for BiH’s public broadcaster, calls on the competent authorities to enforce the final court judgements issued in Banja Luka concerning the debt owed to BHRT by the public broadcaster RTRS and repeats its call on the BiH Parliamentary Assembly to adopt a sustainable long-term legal framework for the financing of all three public broadcasters in the country, while always ensuring transparency of media ownership; recalls that the public broadcaster played a key role in BiH as a tool to unify the country after the war; calls for the provision and broadcasting of programmes in the official languages of BiH;

22. Strongly condemns attacks, threats, intimidation, political pressure, and strategic lawsuits against public participation against journalists, namely by high-level political figures;

41. Regrets the deteriorating situation of media freedom in the country; calls on BiH to safeguard public media from political influence, align entity-level laws with state laws, and introduce rules on media ownership transparency and public advertising; urges BiH to accelerate the adoption of the Law on Electronic Communications, in line with the Digital Services Act and the European Media Freedom Act7; condemns the continued spread of Russian disinformation in the RS entity;

23. Calls on BiH to fully protect the freedom of assembly and association across the country; calls on the RS entity authorities to respect the Constitutional Court ruling repealing the ‘foreign agents’ law;

42. Strongly condemns attacks, threats, intimidation, political pressure, the reintroduction and use of criminal defamation provisions and strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) against journalists, media workers and other human rights defenders and activists, namely by high-level political and other powerful figures; urges BiH to apply a zero-tolerance policy and ensure that the seriousness of such cases is not downplayed; calls on the authorities to adopt a legal framework for effective protection against SLAPPs; calls on BiH to guarantee the freedom and safety of journalists and to address efforts that seek to restrict their free exercise of their activities; also condemns attacks against Members of the European Parliament, EU Commissioners, EU officials, and the Office of the High Representative;

24. Denounces attacks, discrimination and hate speech against minorities and calls for prompt and effective legal action; calls on BiH to adopt a nationwide strategy for minorities’ full participation in public and political life;

43. Calls on BiH to harmonise the legal and policy framework on freedom of expression and hate speech across all levels of government, fully in line with European and international human rights standards, with a view to ensuring the appropriate balance between the protection of freedom of expression and the prevention and prosecution of hate speech, including by addressing existing gaps in the legal framework of the Federation of BiH; calls for combating hate speech in public media;

25. Calls for stronger efforts to be made regarding gender equality and increasing women’s participation in public and political life;

44. Calls on BiH to fully protect the freedom of assembly and association across the country; calls on the RS entity authorities to respect the Constitutional Court ruling repealing the Russian-style ‘foreign agents’ law and to refrain from reintroducing similar measures or engaging in attacks on fundamental rights and freedoms; stresses the need for stronger judicial enforcement and the decriminalisation of defamation across BiH;

26. Encourages long-term solutions for inclusive, equitable and depoliticised education, promoting understanding and reconciliation;

45. Calls on BiH’s authorities to strengthen the legal and institutional protection of human rights defenders and to ensure a safe and enabling environment for their work;

27. Recalls that BiH should assume full ownership of migration management, effectively implement the border control law, adequately staff the border police, and guarantee accessible, efficient and fair asylum procedures;

46. Denounces attacks, discrimination and hate speech against minorities and calls for prompt and effective legal action; calls on BiH to fully comply with its Constitution, uphold the principles of equality, non-discrimination and the multi-ethnic character of the State, and adopt a nationwide strategy to ensure fair and proportionate representation of all citizens, including minorities, in public administration and publicly owned institutions as well as their full participation in public and political life, in line with democratic standards and BiH’s European integration commitments;

47. Calls on BiH to reverse the amendments made to its criminal code in March and June 2025 regarding the elimination of gender identity as a protected characteristic of transgender individuals and the exclusion of same-sex couples from domestic violence protections, respectively;

48. Calls on BiH’s authorities to take the necessary steps to obtain observer status in the work of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, with a view to strengthening alignment with the EU fundamental rights acquis, improving evidence-based policymaking and data collection, and enhancing cooperation in the area of fundamental rights;

49. Calls for the strengthening of the independence, effectiveness and visibility of the Institution of the Human Rights Ombudsman of Bosnia and Herzegovina, including through a more proactive approach to serious and systemic human rights violations and more effective follow-up on its recommendations;

50. Calls for stronger efforts to be made regarding gender equality and increasing women’s participation in public and political life; urges BiH to reinforce institutional responses to gender-based violence; welcomes legislative progress in the Federation entity; expresses concern over the BiH authorities’ inconsistent and fragmented response to incidents of gender-based violence; urges the authorities to address gender-based violence as a structural issue; emphasises the importance of ensuring free and unhindered access to sexual and reproductive health services across the country;

51. Recalls that while BiH ratified the Council of Europe’s Istanbul Convention in November 2013, legally committing to preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence implementation remains inconsistent; calls on BiH to strengthen ongoing efforts focusing on improving victim protection, better police training, coordinating institutional responses, and addressing shortcomings in prosecuting perpetrators of gender-based and domestic violence, especially in rural areas;

52. Encourages long-term solutions for developing inclusive, equitable and depoliticised quality education, promoting understanding and reconciliation and ensuring the right to education in the mother tongue; urges the development of fact-based, non-discriminatory history education based on historical facts and respect for democratic values, with a view to strengthening mutual understanding and fighting discrimination; calls for the EU to actively support this process; reiterates its call to end the practice of ‘two schools under one roof’; emphasises the importance of protecting cultural and linguistic expression of all in BiH; notes that the adoption of programmes and curricula should respect the cultural and linguistic diversity of the country;

53. Recalls that BiH should assume full ownership of migration management, effectively implement the border control law, improve coordination and responsibility-sharing among all levels of government, adequately staff the border police, and provide accessible, efficient and fair asylum procedures while ensuring full respect for human rights and international protection standards; takes note of the entry into operation of the EU Entry/Exit System (EES), which strengthens the monitoring of external borders; calls on BiH’s authorities to ensure full preparedness and alignment with the technical and data protection requirements entailed by the EES; calls on the Commission to find solutions for challenges posed by the new EU EES rules to truck drivers from BiH and other Western Balkan countries;

29.55. Stresses the importance of reconciliation in BiH and urges the authorities to ensure access to truth, justice and redress, including nationwide legal protection and reparations for civilian victims of war crimes;crimes, and to adopt a state-level law ensuring the protection and recognition of victims of torture; welcomes local peacebuilding and remembrance initiatives; calls for further efforts on missing persons, including through regional cooperation; calls on authorities at all levels to actively support and refrain from obstructing victims’ memorialisation efforts, particularly in local communities, which are an essential component of reconciliation and remembrance;

30. Rejects all historical revisionism, genocide denial and glorification of war criminals, and the challenging of established facts and the independence and impartiality of domestic and international tribunals, in particular by political actors;

56. Recognises that reconciliation must be based on acknowledging and teaching historical facts, honouring and remembering the victims, finding all missing persons, bringing all perpetrators to justice, and fostering an environment of reconciliation, trust and respect 30 years after the Dayton Peace Agreement; underlines that political actors and those in positions of influence have a special responsibility to contribute to the creation of an environment conducive to reconciliation; recalls the importance of all nations and individuals responsible to accept accountability for crimes committed during the Balkan wars in order to overcome the past and achieve reconciliation;

57. Reiterates its call for additional measures and concrete programmes to be implemented with regard to the sustainable return of refugees and internally displaced persons, access to healthcare and employment, social protection and education, and for all their rights to compensation for non-returnable property to be fully upheld;

58. Rejects all narratives that exploit ethnic tensions, promote historical revisionism, genocide denial and glorification of war criminals, as well as any public glorification of fascism, national socialism and communism, including the shouting of the Ustaša salute ‘Za dom spremni’ at Marko Perković Thompson’s concert in Široki Brijeg, the display of Chetnik symbols at a gathering of the Ravna Gora movement in Višegrad and the statements made by the removed Speaker of the Federation entity’s House of Representatives Dragan Mioković justifying the crimes committed by the Yugoslav communist regime after the Second World War, and the challenging of established facts and the independence and impartiality of domestic and international tribunals, or the portrayal of democratic institutions and constitutional checks as illegitimate, in particular by political actors; recalls that such narratives directly undermine reconciliation, democratic stability and public trust; calls on all political actors in BiH to refrain from divisive and inflammatory rhetoric and on the authorities to strengthen strategic communication, support independent fact-checking, and invest in media literacy and civic education, including at local level, as part of a whole-of-society approach to democratic resilience; urges BiH to align the State criminal code on genocide denial and the glorification of war criminals with the EU acquis;

59. Expresses serious concern over political concepts and narratives promoted in the region advocating cross-border unification or coordination on the basis of ethnic identity, including the so-called Serbian World, which undermine the sovereignty and territorial integrity of neighbouring countries and risk destabilising the region; stresses that such narratives are incompatible with the principles of good neighbourly relations and with the EU accession process; calls on Serbia and all countries in the region to be constructively committed to the stability and territorial integrity of BiH and actively support BiH’s accession path;

61. Recalls the importance of full access to the archives of the former Yugoslav secret service (UDBA) and the Yugoslav People’s Army Counterintelligence Service (KOS), including those held in Sarajevo, Banja Luka and, in particular, in Belgrade; calls on the authorities to formally request, and on the Serbian authorities to grant without delay, full access to and, where appropriate, the transfer of relevant archival material; stresses that any refusal or delay undermines accountability, justice for victims and regional reconciliation;

62. Emphasises the importance of preventive diplomacy in BiH; calls on the European External Action Service to strengthen skills development among its staff to better understand the local historical, cultural and religious context, as emphasised in the report on the role of preventive diplomacy adopted by the European Parliament in January 2024;

32. Welcomes BiH’s Reform Agenda and urges its swift implementation; recalls that BiH can still benefit from the allocation of EUR 976.6 million;

63. Welcomes BiH’s reform agenda and urges its swift implementation, and calls for its swift publication in the official languages of BiH and its presentation to the public in an accessible and transparent manner; recalls that BiH can still benefit from the allocation of EUR 976.6 million; stresses that political will to implement reforms is crucial to securing funds and preventing their redistribution; underlines that missed deadlines and a lack of progress may result in BiH falling behind other enlargement countries in terms of economic convergence and EU integration and deprive citizens of significant socio-economic benefits; regrets the fact that 10 % of the funds, representing more than EUR 100 million, were lost permanently as a result of initial delays by the political authorities in submitting the reform agenda; calls for the swift ratification of the financial and loan agreement;

33. Urges BiH to set up an institutional framework for the management of EU funds and appoint a national IPA III coordinator;

64. Stresses that any release and disbursement of these funds must remain strictly conditional on the fulfilment of clear, measurable and verifiable milestones on the rule of law, the democratic functioning of institutions, fundamental freedoms and socio-economic reforms; calls for the effective involvement of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH, local and regional authorities, social partners and civil society in monitoring the implementation of the reform agenda and in overseeing the use of EU funds, in accordance with the principle of inclusive partnership;

34. Welcomes the Commission’s proposal to open negotiations with the Western Balkans on joining the EU’s ‘roam like at home’ regime;

65. Urges BiH to set up an institutional framework for the management of EU funds, including by appointing a National Reform and Growth Facility Coordinator, establishing the supporting structures required for the implementation of the reform agenda, designating a single contact point for each reform in order to ensure harmonised and coordinated implementation across different levels of government and appointing the Director of the Directorate for European Integration as a national IPA III coordinator, in line with previous practices; calls for the better absorption of IPA III funds in BiH, including at local and regional levels;

35. Invites BiH to take steps to join the Single Euro Payments Area;

66. Believes that EU funding should better support democratic reforms in the country and hence calls for the relevant EU funding to be reprogrammed to direct more funds towards supporting technical assistance to absorb the funds, judiciary reforms and anti-corruption measures; calls for the EU and the Western Balkan countries to establish a framework for fruitful cooperation between the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) and its Western Balkan counterparts in order to ensure that the EPPO can effectively exercise its competences;

36. Calls on BiH to reform public procurement in line with EU rules, strengthen oversight, capacity and coordination across state and entity levels, and ensure transparent, competitive and corruption-resistant procedures;

67. Recalls that EU funding for projects in the RS entity should remain frozen until the reversal of the RS entity’s democratic backsliding;

68. Welcomes the Commission’s proposal to open negotiations with the Western Balkans on joining the EU’s ‘roam like at home’ policy, which will provide the Western Balkans’ population with one of the most tangible and instantly felt benefits during their country’s EU accession process;

69. Notes BiH’s resilient but slowing economy; calls for a sustainable fiscal approach to address growth constraints, improve competitiveness and the business and investment environment, ensure the timely adoption of state-level budgets, implement actions to tackle skills mismatches, brain drain, the rapidly evolving demographic crisis, unemployment and labour market strategies, support innovation, small and medium-sized enterprises and the green and digital transition, and ensure greater transparency, accountability, and depoliticised decision-making;

70. Calls on the BiH authorities to adopt concrete measures to address the brain drain, in particular among young people, by investing in quality education, decent jobs, social protection and inclusive policies and fully implementing the Youth Guarantee; underlines the key importance of genuine social dialogue for delivering the benefits of enlargement to all segments of the population;

71. Urges BiH, notably the parliaments of the Federation and RS entities, to complete the remaining legislative and institutional steps necessary for joining the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) without delay, with a view to allowing BiH citizens and businesses to benefit from significant savings in transaction costs;

72. Calls on BiH to reform public procurement in line with EU rules, strengthen oversight, capacity and coordination across state and entity levels, and ensure transparent, competitive and corruption-resistant procedures, including through stronger sanctions, a genuinely independent Public Procurement Review Body, a fully functional e-procurement system, and stricter limits on direct agreements and other non-competitive procedures;

37.73. Encourages BiH to modernise its electricity and gas market rules in line with the EU’s third energy package, to ensure transparency and competitiveness, and to link national energy systems with regional and EU networks to boost efficiency and security; urges BiH and its entities to take advantage of the country’s low dependence on gas to transform into a decarbonised energy system and avoid creating stranded assets by investing heavily in major new gas infrastructure while pursuing diversification of gas supply through interconnection with Member States in order to reduce dependence on Russian fossil fuels;

38.74. Calls on BiH to adopt a climate law and strategy,environmental protection strategies, align with EU environmental laws, ensure strategic and transparent investment planning, andincluding meaningful public participation, improve biodiversity protection;protection and accelerate the just green transition; expresses concern about the situation of stray animals;

39. Urges BiH to implement integrated water and wastewater management, effective flood prevention and a countrywide strategy to combat air pollution;

75. Calls on all mining entities operating in BiH to fully comply with national legislation and to prioritise environmental protection and public health;

40. Calls on BiH to improve transport networks and cross-border cooperation and to make progress on key regional infrastructure projects;

76. Urges BiH to implement integrated water and wastewater management, effective flood prevention and a countrywide strategy to combat air pollution, including by honouring its binding commitments to close the Tuzla 4 and Kakanj 5 coal power units and comply with its National Emissions Reduction Plan under the Energy Community Treaty;

77. Calls on BiH to improve transport networks and cross-border cooperation and to make progress on key regional infrastructure projects, making full use of available EU funding instruments; underlines the strategic importance of BiH’s active participation in major regional interconnection projects in the fields of transport, energy and digital networks in the Western Balkans; stresses that these projects support the creation of resilient supply chains, reduce strategic dependencies, and make a decisive contribution to the country’s economic convergence, regional integration and resilience, cross-border cooperation, as well as to its gradual integration into the EU’s single market; calls on BiH to also promote projects aimed at military mobility;