COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Bosnia and Herzegovina 2021 Report

On the basis of the December 2019 conclusions of the EU Council, the Commission focuses its annual reports on Bosnia and Herzegovina on the implementation of the Opinion’s key priorities.2 Bosnia and Herzegovina continues to implement the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) and the joint bodies established under the agreement meet regularly. [...] Bosnia and Herzegovina has yet to address the recommendations by the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE/ODIHR), the Venice Commission and the Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO). [...] Ethnic- and residence-based restrictions to the right to stand for election to the Presidency and the House of Peoples of Bosnia and Herzegovina remain in violation of the ECHR and its Protocols. [...] The Military Commissioner, who oversees the protection of the human rights and freedoms of soldiers and personnel of the armed forces and the Ministry of Defence, opened 102 proceedings in 2020. [...] In the coming year, Bosnia and Herzegovina should in particular: urgently adopt the integrity-related targeted amendments to the HJPC Law establishing among other a credible and rigorous system of verification of asset declarations of judges and prosecutors, and members of the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council; adopt the new law on the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council and the new.