The Chairperson of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Borjana Krišto, has decided to remove three of the most important items related to the country’s European path from the agenda of today’s session. These are the proposal for a decision on the establishment of the Office of the Chief Negotiator of BiH with the European Union, the Draft Law on the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council (VSPC), and the Draft Law on Amendments to the Law on the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
According to information obtained by the media, this move followed an assessment that SNSD ministers, Srđan Amidžić and Staša Košarac, could again withhold consent for the agenda, which would block another session of the Council of Ministers. By withdrawing the controversial items, Krišto decided to ensure that the session still takes place and that the remaining issues are discussed.
At today’s session, the Council of Ministers will therefore consider a number of other items, while decisions considered crucial for the continuation of BiH’s European integration will be postponed to one of the following sessions.
As a reminder, SNSD ministers have prevented the work of the Council of Ministers at two previous sessions by refusing to give their consent to the proposed agenda, which effectively led to a multi-day institutional blockade at the state level.
It is particularly significant that today’s session, according to insiders, was one of the last opportunities for Bosnia and Herzegovina, at least within the executive branch, to adopt two important laws in line with European standards before the European Council summit, which begins on Thursday and lasts for two days. Due to the current political deadlock, expectations are realistic that BiH will once again receive a negative assessment of progress on the path to membership in the European Union.
The fact that Bosnia and Herzegovina is facing general elections next year adds further weight to the whole situation, which further narrows the space for any significant progress in the European integration process in the coming months, given the pre-election campaign and subsequent negotiations on the formation of a new government.
Although the key EU points have been withdrawn, other issues are also being considered at today’s session of the Council of Ministers, including the Proposal for a Memorandum of Understanding between the Council of Ministers of BiH and the Government of the United Arab Emirates on the mutual recognition and exchange of driving licenses, the Proposal for a Decision on the annual quota of work permits for the employment of foreign citizens in BiH for 2026, as well as a series of information and reports from various fields.
