News
Workshop on Beneficial Ownership Registers in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Comparative EU Practices, Current Status, and Challenges
A workshop designed to raise awareness of the European Union (EU) legal framework on the registers of Beneficial Ownership and to showcase comparative practices and examples from EU Member States concerning policy, legal, and technical considerations for the establishment of such registers was...
Congress promotes participatory democracy at local level in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Citizen participation as a core principle of human rights and a condition for effective democratic practices was highlighted by the Chair of the Current Affairs Committee of the Congress, Bryony Rudkin (United Kingdom, SOC/G/PD), at the opening of the OSCE conference on “Participation of citizens...
Freedom of expression and information: stakeholder mapping and analysis
The technical paper Freedom of expression and information: stakeholder mapping and analysis, presents an overview of key institutional, civil society, and international stakeholders involved in the realm of freedom of expression and access to information. It aims to identify and evaluate...
Support to the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina with improving the human rights of LGBTI persons in line with European standards
At the 54th session, held on 27 July 2022, the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, at the proposal of the Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees of Bosnia and Herzegovina, adopted the Action Plan to improve the state of human rights and fundamental freedoms of LGBTI people in Bosnia...
Report and discussion on the need for establishment of case law departments at second-instance courts in Bosnia and Herzegovina
On 23 November 2023 in Sarajevo, the Council of Europe organised a discussion on the introduction of case law departments in appellate courts. The starting point of the discussion was the draft Report on the need to establish the case law departments at second-instance courts in Bosnia and...
Introduction of the legal remedy providing for protection against excessive length of judicial proceedings in the FBiH
The Council of Europe and the Ministry of Justice of FBiH organised on 22 November 2023 in Sarajevo a discussion with the cantonal ministers of the justice and their representatives on introducing of a legal remedy against the excessive length of court proceedings in the Federation of Bosnia and...
Representatives of ministries of justice and judiciary from Bosnia and Herzegovina visited the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights
Representatives of the ministries of justice and the judiciary of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) visited the Council of Europe (CoE), including the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), on 6-7 November 2023. The study visit aimed at enhancing the dialogue between the CoE and the national...
Training on international standards of Freedom of Expression and Access to Information
Twenty-two representatives of relevant institutions at the State, Entity, and Brčko District levels, civil society organisations and independent bodies attended the first training session on Freedom of Expression and Freedom of Information, marking the beginning of efforts to strengthen...
Call for tenders: for the provision of consultancy services in the field of Freedom of Expression and the Media in the Western Balkans
In the framework of the European Union/Council of Europe “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye”, the Council of Europe is currently implementing seven actions (in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and the regional action) on...
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND INFORMATION: Mapping of international standards and monitoring and reporting obligations of Bosnia and Herzegovina on freedom of expression and information
The technical paper Mapping of international standards and monitoring and reporting obligations of Bosnia and Herzegovina on freedom of expression and information, provides an overview of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s reporting obligations in respect of freedom of expression (FOE) and freedom of...
Prosecutors and police representatives from Bosnia and Herzegovina trained on standards on protection from hate speech
38 representatives of prosecutorial offices as well as police forces from Bosnia and Herzegovina, received the training on domestic and European legal standards on protection from hate speech. Through the presentations of the relevant practice of the European Court of Human Rights and a case...
Representatives of education ministries in Bosnia and Herzegovina discuss the way forward during study visit to Strasbourg
Aiming to strengthen the commitment to implement education policies in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), the joint European Union and Council of Europe action “Quality education for all” organised a study visit for members of its Advisory Board on 8 and 9 November. The visit was organised for...
Local authorities across Bosnia and Herzegovina engage in open government movement
Joined by the members of the country’s delegation to the Congress, 15 local authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina gathered online to discuss the new strategic priorities of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) and their participation in the OGP Local Programme. Local authorities are...
CEPEJ experts visiting pilot courts in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Following the first coaching session at the Sokolac first instance Court this summer, the experts of the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) visited two other pilot courts in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Brčko District Court (first instance) and the Cazin Municipal Court...
Council of Europe supports authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina in developing information-sharing protocols on radicalisation
The first working group (WG) session, gathering the representatives of entity Ministries of Justice, Federal Police Administration and Police of Brcko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Centre of Social Welfare from Jajce, Bijeljina and Zenica prisons, and the State prison, took place on 25-27...
European Anti-trafficking Day: Council of Europe expert group calls for preventing human trafficking risks exacerbated in the context of migration
On the occasion of European Anti-Trafficking Day (18 October), the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) has warned of the increased risk of human trafficking created by restrictive immigration policies and failure to address the...
European Anti-Trafficking Day: expert panel in Bosnia-Herzegovina highlights women's vulnerability to human trafficking
To mark the European Anti-trafficking Day, the XVI Annual Symposium of Prosecutors of Bosnia and Herzegovina (17 – 19 October 2023) held a panel on "Trafficking in human beings as a form of gender-based violence” The panel was co-organised by the Council of Europe Office in BiH, the OSCE Mission...
Call for proposals: Support to local self-governments and/or civil society organisations in fighting discrimination and hate speech
Under the framework of the European Union/Council of Europe joint programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye”, and its action “Towards an equal, inclusive and tolerant Bosnia and Herzegovina”, the Council of Europe is launching a call for proposals with the aim to fund...
Brcko District police learning how to protect rights of LGBTI persons
An analysis carried out by the Sarajevo Open Centre among the LGBTI community showed that 87,4% of respondents in Bosnia and Herzegovinado not trust to the police. Among the major reasons provided, it was stated that it is because of fearing secondary victimisation based on their sexual...
The new Master’s Programme “Law of the Council of Europe” is launched
On 9 October 2023, the Faculty of Law of the University of Sarajevo, in cooperation with the Council of Europe organised the official launching of the new Master's Program "Council of Europe Law" for the academic year 2023/2024. The new Master’s Programme “Law of the Council of Europe” is the...