The European Union Diplomatic Service (EEAS) has issued a statement regarding the decision of the President of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, to sign decrees promulgating a law prohibiting the work of state institutions in this entity.
The legal acts adopted on 27 February 2025 by the National Assembly of Republika Srpska and signed by the President of Republika Srpska on 5 March 2025 undermine the constitutional and legal order of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the functionality of the country’s institutions and threaten fundamental freedoms of its citizens. These actions contradict the commitments Bosnia and Herzegovina has undertaken on their EU path.
Republika Srpska, as other entities, must comply with the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the country’s laws, and respect the competences and decisions of the country’s institutions, including the Constitutional Court, High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council, Court, Prosecutors’ Office as well as the State Investigation and Protection Agency. All domestic legal remedies should be used to uphold the constitutional order of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The EU urges the political leadership of the Republika Srpska entity to refrain from and to renounce provocative, divisive rhetoric and actions, including questioning the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Political pressure on public officials to leave state-level institutions must end.
The EU emphasises that the sovereignty, territorial integrity and constitutional order of Bosnia and Herzegovina must be respected.
Following the decision of the European Council in March 2024 to open EU accession negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina, the EU urges all political actors to renew the country’s focus on progressing on the EU path, with resolute action to take all relevant steps, so that the Council of the EU may then adopt the negotiating framework. Progress on the EU path is the best guarantee of stability and security in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and has multiple benefits for the country’s citizens.
