Donor Co-Financing Assessment for New Country Strategy
Annex 1 - Political Assessment in the Context of Article 1
European Bank
for Reconstruction and Development
Government and citizens equally subject to the law
The principles of equality of government and citizens in the eyes of the law are guaranteed by the laws of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Effective policies and institutions to prevent corruption
According to the 2020 Transparency International Corruption Perception Index (CPI), the country's score has been declining in recent years and it
currently ranks 111th out of 180 countries and territories.7 This is among the worst positions in South Eastern Europe. Corruption is widely
perceived by citizens in B&H as one of the most serious problems.
According to the latest report of the Third Evaluation Round on "Transparency of Party Funding" by the Council of Europe's Group of States against
Corruption (GRECO), B&H has not made progress since the Second Compliance Report of December 2018. In total, only 10 out of 22
recommendations have been implemented satisfactorily. Eight recommendations remain partly implemented and four remain not implemented.8
In the Second Compliance Report of the Fourth Evaluation Round on "corruption prevention in respect of members of parliament, judges and
prosecutors", GRECO noted that B&H has implemented satisfactorily none of the 15 recommendations of the report; 11 have been partly
implemented and four not implemented.9
According to the EC, "corruption...is a serious concern, with all levels of government showing signs of political capture directly affecting the daily
life of citizens". 10
Civil and Political Rights
Freedom of speech, information, religion, conscience, movement, association, assembly and private property
B&H has a legal and institutional basis for the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms, which are enshrined in its Constitution. B&H has
ratified all major UN human rights conventions. The Constitution lists 15 international human rights instruments and explicitly stipulates that the
European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and its Protocols apply directly and supersede national law.
While the necessary framework is in place, the implementation of human rights standards remains uneven.
The latest assessment of the track record of B&H in the area of human rights in the framework of the United Nations Universal Periodic Review
(UPR) was adopted in 2019. B&H accepted 204 out of 207 recommendations received during this cycle (an increase of over 20 per cent from the
previous cycle). With respect to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), 38 per cent of the recommendations were on Peace,
Justice and Strong Institutions; 21 per cent on Inequalities; and 14 per cent on Gender Equality. 11 There has been no systematic follow-up to the
accepted recommendations from the 2019 UPR.
7 Transparency International, 2020
8 Council of Europe, Group of States against Corruption (GRECO), Third Evaluation Round, Addendum to the Second Compliance Report on Bosnia and Herzegovina,
adopted on 25 September 2020, published on 16 December 2020.
9 Council of Europe, Group of States against Corruption (GRECO), Fourth Evaluation Round, Second Compliance Report on Bosnia and Herzegovina, adopted on 25
September, published on 16 December 2020.
10 European Commission, 2020 Communication on EU Enlargement Policy, B&H 2030 Report, 6 October 2020.
11 United Nations, Universal Periodic Review (UPR), Bosnia & Herzegovina, UPR Info Statistics and country infographic.
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