The German parliamentary party Alternative for Germany (AfD) has requested clarification from the federal government on whyBosnia and Herzegovina and Germany, despite years of negotiations, have not yet concluded a bilateral agreement on war graves. Submitted with 28 total questions, the official parliamentary inquiry focuses heavily on possible administrative and political obstacles in Republika Srpska, alongside the fate of the remains of German war victims in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The document in question is Bundestag document no. 21/8695, dated October 19, 2026, submitted by MPs Tobias Teich, Malte Kaufmann, Stefan Keuter, Uwe Schulz, and Alexander Gauland, together with the AfD parliamentary group.
It notes that the German organization Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge—which deals with locating, exhuming, identifying, and maintaining the graves of German war casualties abroad—mainly conducts its activities based on bilateral agreements or diplomatic arrangements.
However, as of November 2024, the federal government still did not list Bosnia and Herzegovina among the countries with which Germany has such an agreement or corresponding arrangement.
Negotiations Have Been Ongoing Since at Least 2012
According to details in the parliamentary inquiry, attempts to establish a legal framework for German war graves in Bosnia and Herzegovina have dragged on for over a decade.
Back in 2012, in documentation relating to the war graves agreement with Montenegro, the German government stated that talks with Bosnia and Herzegovina were already underway.
Ten years later, in 2022, the Volksbund organization noted that negotiations regarding the agreement with Bosnia and Herzegovina still required continuation.
AfD is now seeking precise information from the German government on when negotiations actually began, which institutions participated in them, and why the agreement has not been concluded to date.
The MPs wonder whether a fully or partially agreed draft already exists, and which issues remain unresolved.
Specific Questions About the Role of Republika Srpska
One part of the inquiry relates to the distribution of authority among the state institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republika Srpska, and the Brčko District.
AfD is asking for clarification on which institutions hold responsibility for war graves, exhumation procedures, relocating remains, and issuing necessary permits.
What is particularly important is whether different administrative procedures in the two entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina have complicated or slowed down the conclusion of an agreement at the state level.
In the ninth question, German MPs ask the federal government to state its position on the possible role of Republika Srpska in the current stalemate.
“Is it true, according to the findings of the federal government, that the agreement on war graves has not been concluded at the state level also because the necessary consents, permits, or political agreements have not been obtained in Republika Srpska, and if so, what specific issues does this refer to?” states the Bundestag document.
The document further questions what other institutions or unresolved issues might be delaying the agreement if the assumption about Republika Srpska proves incorrect.
German MPs also want to know if separate administrative arrangements exist with the institutions of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska, and whether permit issuance procedures, deadlines, and other administrative requirements differ between the two entities.
Remains of 132 War Casualties Taken Over During 2025
The inquiry also cites Volksbund data showing that the remains of 132 German war casualties were recorded in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2025.
As explained, this does not involve independent exhumations carried out by the organization in the field, but rather the takeover of remains previously recovered by local institutions or other entities.
The submitters of the inquiry believe such a practice raises questions about possible legal and administrative limitations on independently carrying out systematic exhumations in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
For this reason, they are asking the federal government for information on where the remains of the 132 individuals were found, which institutions participated in their discovery, and to what extent the Volksbund can currently conduct searches and exhumations in Bosnia and Herzegovina on an independent basis.
German War Graves Recorded in the Banja Luka Area
The parliamentary document particularly mentions German war graves in the area of today’s Republika Srpska, including Banja Luka.
According to Volksbund records, there are burial sites of German war casualties in that area whose remains have not yet been relocated to established war cemeteries.
In its records, the organization expresses hope for future opportunities to locate, exhume, and relocate those remains.
AfD is asking the federal government to explain why all known German war casualties in the Banja Luka area have not yet been exhumed or relocated to central war cemeteries.
The MPs have also requested data on the total number of known and potential German war graves across the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republika Srpska, and the Brčko District.
Data Sought on Rejected Requests and Possible Destruction of Graves
German MPs asked a series of questions about administrative procedures for finding, exhuming, identifying, and relocating remains.
They are asking the government to deliver data on all permit requests submitted by German institutions or the Volksbund since 2015, with a precise breakdown of how many were approved, rejected, or are still pending.
They especially requested a breakdown of data for the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska.
One of the questions refers to the possible endangerment of German war graves due to construction work, infrastructure projects, private land use, robbery, or other interventions.
AfD wants to know if the German government is familiar with any cases where such graves were damaged or destroyed in Bosnia and Herzegovina since 2015.
They also requested clarification on whether historical reasons or disagreements regarding the culture of remembrance are complicating the maintenance of German war graves and the conclusion of an interstate agreement.
When Could the Agreement Be Concluded?
In the final part of the parliamentary inquiry, AfD requests data on financial allocations made by Germany since 2015 for Volksbund activities in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The MPs also ask what concrete steps the federal government intends to take to finally conclude negotiations, for which documentation has existed since 2012.
The German government was also asked to deliver a realistic timeframe for reaching an agreement, as well as the decisions that need to be made on the German and Bosnian-Herzegovinian side.
The complete content of parliamentary document no. 21/8695 from October 19, 2026, can be found on the Bundestag website, N1 writes.
