Enhancing the safety of journalists, combating strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs), and supporting co-regulation of harmful content online are among the key priorities for protecting freedom of expression and the media in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The second Steering Committee meeting of the joint European Union and Council of Europe action "Protecting freedom of expression and of the media in Bosnia and Herzegovina" (PRO-FREX), implemented by the Council of Europe Division for Co-operation on Freedom of Expression, convened in Sarajevo on 11 June 2024. The meeting brought together key stakeholders to evaluate the action's progress and outline objectives for the upcoming year.

During the meeting, representatives of the partners and beneficiaries reaffirmed their commitment to continued collaboration with the Council of Europe. The action will persist in its co-operation with the Communications Regulatory Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Press and Online Media Council, the Association of Journalists “BH novinari,” the Centres for Judicial and Prosecutorial Education and Bar Associations of both entities and the Ministry of Communications and Transport of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Bosnia and Herzegovina faces significant challenges to freedom of expression and media, including the re-criminalised defamation in Republika Srpska and increasing incidents of violence against journalists, political pressures, and threats, with inadequate institutional protection.

Key priorities for the action include more efficient protection of journalists and combating strategic lawsuits against public participation, in line with the recently adopted anti-SLAPP Recommendation of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers. The action aims to support the adoption of a progressive legal framework to regulate the media landscape, enhance protection of journalists and media actors, strengthen the media regulator and self-regulatory bodies for the coregulation of online media, and combat hate speech and harmful content online.

The action “Protecting freedom of expression and the media in Bosnia and Herzegovina” is part of the joint European Union and the Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye”.