In Sarajevo, judges and legal professionals from Bosnia and Herzegovina gathered on 16-17 October 2025 to discuss the latest European standards for addressing strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) and protection from defamation. The session centred on two key instruments: the Council of Europe’s Recommendation CM/Rec(2024)2 on countering the use of SLAPPs and the EU Directive (EU) 2024/1069 on protecting those engaged in public debate from abusive or unfounded legal actions.

Through practical case studies, 25 representatives from across the justice sector examined how to recognise SLAPP cases in practice and reviewed findings from the Regional Baseline Assessment of Legislative and Policy Needs regarding the implementation of Council of Europe and European Union standards on countering SLAPPs. Developed under the Council of Europe’s regional action for protecting freedom of expression and of the media in the Western Balkans, PRO-FREX, the study offers a roadmap for integrating anti-SLAPP safeguards into domestic legal systems across the region.

During the event, participants referred to research indicating that defamation cases are the most frequent form of SLAPPs. Such lawsuits can have a strong chilling effect on free expression, discouraging public debate and scrutiny. This is why they remain a key focus of training for judges and prosecutors, who play a vital role in safeguarding freedom of expression under Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, as upheld by the European Court of Human Rights.

The seminar was organised in collaboration with the entity centres for training of judges and prosecutors as part of the action “Protecting freedom of expression and of the media in Bosnia and Herzegovina (PROFREX)” under the joint European Union and the Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye”.