The ninth meeting of the Coordination Working Group on Monitoring and Reporting on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information was held in Tarčin on February 12–13, 2025. The event was organized by the Council of Europe and the Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees of Bosnia and Herzegovina (MHRR BiH).

Opening remarks were delivered by Bojana Urumova, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Sarajevo, who emphasized the significance of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s active engagement in the “Journalists Matter” campaign. Amela Hasić, Head of the Reporting Department at MHRR BiH, also addressed participants.

Deputy National Contact Points for the campaign, Samir Karić and Raisa Bušatlić, presented a proposed framework for a national strategic document to protect journalists, drawing on best practices from EU member states.

Contributions from Borka Rudić (BH Novinari) and Leila Bičakčić (CIN) highlighted current challenges facing journalists and media outlets in BiH. On the second day, Council of Europe expert Amer Džihana presented an updated draft of the Pilot Report on Freedom of Expression, followed by a discussion and agreement on next steps toward finalizing the document

Full text here: Održan deveti sastanak Koordinacijske radne grupe o praćenju i izvještavanju o slobodi izražavanja i slobodi pristupa informacijama