OSCE reaffirms its full support for the Dayton Peace Agreement and the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina

SARAJEVO, 27 February 2025 - The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (Mission) reaffirms its full support for the Dayton Peace Agreement and the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina. A peaceful and prosperous future for everyone in Bosnia and Herzegovina requires respect for the rule of law and democratic institutions, stewarded by responsible leadership.

The Mission calls upon the Republika Srpska National Assembly not to adopt the laws and measures proposed by the government of Republika Srpska that would undermine the constitutional order of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Any unilateral transfer of competences, or threats of doing so, from the State to the entity level with the aim of creating parallel systems contravene the rule of law and the constitutional order of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This includes proposals for the establishment of parallel institutions, the banning of the work of critical State-level institutions, and the potential criminalization of the basic functions of a democratic state.

The Mission further reiterates its previously stated concerns that the adoption of the Proposal of the Law on the Special Registry and Publicity of the Work of Non-Profit Organizations would run counter to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s international human rights obligations and OSCE commitments, in particular in the areas of freedom of association, freedom of expression, media freedom and prohibition of discrimination.

We urge the political leaders to uphold the rule of law and their constitutional and legal obligations to respect the sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina.