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The Honouring of Obligations and Commitments by Bosnia and Herzegovina

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The Honouring of Obligations and Commitments by Bosnia and Herzegovina http://assembly.coe.int Doc. 14465 08 January 2018 The honouring of obligations and commitments by Bosnia and Herzegovina Report1 Co-rapporteurs: Sir Roger GALE, United Kingdom, European Conservatives Group, and Mr Tiny KOX, Netherlands, Group of the Unified European Left Summary After almost 16 years of membership in the Council of Europe, Bosnia and Herzegovina should step up efforts to implement the country’s obligations and remaining commitments to the Organisation. While respecting the Entities’ and the Brčko District’s autonomy, the necessary reforms should be implemented on the basis of a shared vision of the development of the country’s institutions. This requires a fully fledged constitutional reform, without which the country’s democratic institutions cannot function properly and Bosnia and Herzegovina cannot become a genuinely civic State of all its citizens. The Monitoring Committee is concerned about the increase in nationalist and ethnic rhetoric, especially in the context of the election campaign for the October 2018 general elections. It is also concerned about the growing disrespect for the rule of law and urges the authorities to implement, ahead of the 2018 elections, final and binding decisions of the Constitutional Court, notably as regards election reform for the city of Mostar and the completion of the Federation House of Peoples. To fulfil the membership obligations and commitments, the committee expects Bosnia and Herzegovina to take a number of concrete actions, in accordance with the recommendations contained in the present report. Pending their implementation, it proposes that the Assembly continues the monitoring procedure with respect to Bosnia and Herzegovina. 1. Reference to committee: Resolution 1115 (1997). F - 67075 Strasbourg Cedex | assembly@coe.int | Tel: +33 3 88 41 2000 | Fax: +33 3 88 41 2733 Doc. 14465 Report Contents Page A. Draft resolution......................................................................................................................................... 3 B. Explanatory memorandum by Sir Roger Gale and Mr Tiny Kox, co-rapporteurs...................................... 6 1. Introduction.......................................................................................................................................... 6 1.1. The monitoring procedure............................................................................................................6 1.2. Co-operation with the Council of Europe......................................................................................6 1.3. The economic situation................................................................................................................ 7 1.4. The 2013 census......................................................................................................................... 7 2. The Dayton Peace Agreement and the role of the High Representative..............................................8 2.1. The Dayton Peace Agreement.....................................................................................................8 2.2. Function and role of the High Representative.............................................................................. 9 2.3. Threats to the Dayton Peace Agreement...................................................................................10 3. The consequences of the 1992-95 war.............................................................................................. 11 3.1. Prosecution of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity........................................... 11 4. Relations with the European Union, NATO and regional co-operation...............................................14 4.1. Relations with the European Union............................................................................................14 4.2. Regional co-operation................................................................................................................15 4.3. Relations with NATO..................................................................................................................16 5. Democratic institutions.......................................................................................................................17 5.1. 2014 general elections and electoral developments.................................................................. 17 5.2. Changes to the electoral legislation........................................................................................... 19 5.3. Political developments in the run-up to the 2016 local elections: the referendum on the Republika Srpska national day..........................................................................................................20 5.4. The 2016 local elections............................................................................................................ 21 5.5. Situation in Mostar..................................................................................................................... 22 5.6. Local self-government................................................................................................................23 5.7. Constitutional reform..................................................................................................................23 5.8. Justice reform............................................................................................................................ 26 6. Rule of Law........................................................................................................................................29 6.1. Fight against corruption and organised crime............................................................................ 29 6.2. Money laundering and financing of terrorism............................................................................. 30 6.3. Fight against terrorism............................................................................................................... 31 6.4. Fight against torture and ill-treatment.........................................................................................32 7. Human rights......................................................................................................................................32 7.1. Fight against discrimination........................................................................................................32 7.2. Protection of minorities...............................................................................................................33 7.3. Fight against the trafficking in human beings............................................................................. 33 7.4. Media and freedom of expression..............................................................................................34 7.5. The Ombudspersons institution................................................................................................. 35 7.6. Education...................................................................................................................................37 7.7. Culture and cultural heritage...................................................................................................... 38 2 Doc. 14465 Report A. Draft resolution2 1. Bosnia and Herzegovina joined the Council of Europe on 24 April 2002. Since then, the authorities have implemented all the formal commitments entered into upon accession. To date, Bosnia and Herzegovina has signed and ratified 90 Council of Europe conventions. 2. The Parliamentary Assembly congratulates the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina on the adoption of an ambitious reform agenda in July 2015 and on officially submitting in February 2016 its application for membership of the European Union. 3. The Assembly also welcomes the long-awaited publication in 2016 of the 2013 population and household census, and the progress made in the implementation of the revised strategy for the implementation of Annex VII to the Dayton Peace Agreement on the return of refugees and internally displaced persons. 4. The Assembly considers that the issue of missing persons should remain high on the authorities’ agenda and expects the Missing Persons Institute to receive the necessary budgetary means. 5. The Assembly regrets the slow pace of implementation of the 2009 National War Crime Strategy: the 2015 deadline for the most complex cases was not met, and investigations into alleged war crimes against at least 7 000 people remain to be resolved by December 2023. The Assembly urges both the Entities and the State to ensure that the judiciary is sufficiently funded. 6. The Assembly is pleased to note that the Central Election Commission organised the 2014 general elections and the 2016 local elections in a professional and efficient manner and constantly strives to promote further technical improvements to the voting procedures. 7. However, the Assembly notes that the 2014 elections were held for the second time under a legal and constitutional framework which is in violation of the European Convention on Human Rights (ETS No. 5) since the 2009 judgment in the case of Sejdić and Finci: once again, only Serbs, Croats and Bosniaks could run for the State Presidency or be elected/appointed to the State House of Peoples. 8. No constitutional amendments to solve this fundamental issue have been adopted to date. The Assembly urges once again all political stakeholders to shoulder their responsibilities
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