Bosnia and Herzegovina’s institutions are stepping up efforts to tackle money laundering and terrorist financing, bringing together authorities from across the country to address shortcomings identified by international financial watchdogs and strengthen the integrity of the BiH financial system.
At an international conference in Sarajevo, representatives of more than 30 institutions from the state, entity, cantonal and Brčko District levels joined counterparts from Croatia and Serbia, alongside European Union representatives and international experts, to examine how Bosnia and Herzegovina can turn its commitments under the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Action Plan into measurable institutional progress.
The conference was organized in close cooperation with the Ministry of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with support from the European Union Police Assistance for Bosnia and Herzegovina (EUPA4BiH) project.
The meeting comes four months after FATF placed Bosnia and Herzegovina on its so-called grey list in June 2026, subjecting the country to increased international monitoring. FATF acknowledged improvements in strategies, financial investigations, and the exchange of financial intelligence, but it also identified persistent weaknesses in supervision, risk assessment, and the effectiveness of measures against financial crime.
The Ministry of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina has taken a central coordinating role in the BiH response, initiating the development of an inter-agency Grey List Exit Programme (GLEP) in cooperation with EUPA4BiH. The programme is intended to translate FATF recommendations into concrete institutional responsibilities, implementation priorities, and coordinated measures.
Representatives of the Ministry of Security of BiH, Ministry of Justice of BiH, Ministry of Finance and Treasury of BiH, State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA), Border Police of BiH, Indirect Taxation Authority, and Agency for Prevention of Corruption and Coordination of the Fight against Corruption were joined by authorities from the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republika Srpska and Brčko District. Among them were the banking agencies and securities commissions of both entities, tax administrations, insurance regulators, police authorities, prosecutors’ offices, and professional associations.
Representatives of the European Union, the United States, and international organizations, including the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), contributed to the exchange of expertise and perspectives on strengthening BiH anti-money laundering systems.
The conference also reflected the European Union’s broader support for institutional reforms in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Through EUPA4BiH, the EU is providing technical assistance, specialist expertise and capacity-building support to help domestic institutions strengthen financial investigations, improve information exchange and advance compliance with international standards.
These efforts complement Bosnia and Herzegovina’s EU Reform agenda priorities, including the implementation of anti-money laundering legislation and the alignment of domestic practices with European and international requirements. FATF’s Action Plan, with implementation scheduled through January 2029, requires sustained institutional engagement and demonstrable improvements in areas ranging from risk-based supervision and suspicious transaction reporting to money laundering investigations, terrorist financing, and the enforcement of targeted financial sanctions.
The conference concluded with a working session dedicated to immediate implementation priorities.
The European Union Police Assistance for Bosnia and Herzegovina (EUPA4BiH) project is funded by the European Union and implemented by the Center for International Legal Cooperation (CILC), in partnership with IRZ, CIVIPOL, FIAP and CPMA. The EUPA4BIH project supports police agencies and other competent institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina in strengthening their capacities to combat organized crime, corruption, financial crime, terrorism, and other serious security threats.
