News and events
Legal experts in Bosnia and Herzegovina strengthen skills to support victims of human trafficking
Continuing its support for legal professionals in Bosnia and Herzegovina in enhancing access to justice for victims of human trafficking, the Council of Europe held a two-day training session in Konjic focusing on the rights of trafficking victims in criminal proceedings. Organised in cooperation...
Institutions and journalists collaborate towards stronger media environment in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Promoting open dialogue to strengthen protection mechanisms for journalists and ensure a free and responsible media space in Bosnia and Herzegovina was the focus of a two-day conference concluded today in Igman. The event was organised by the Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees of Bosnia and...
Council of Europe supports Bosnia and Herzegovina’s progress towards fairer, more transparent and inclusive elections
The Council of Europe is helping Bosnia and Herzegovina strengthen electoral integrity and build public trust in democratic processes in line with European standards as part of the second phase of the project “Supporting transparency, inclusiveness and integrity of electoral practice and...
Council of Europe provides further support in strengthening well-being and mental health of prison staff in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Following the development of the Guidelines on well-being of prison staff working with violent extremist prisoners (VEPs) and other prisoners prone to radicalisation, the first working group meeting on the development of the training plan and programme for the well-being of prison staff was held...
Call for Local Authorities: Council of Europe Workshop on Deliberative Democracy
The Council of Europe Congress of Local and Regional is inviting municipalities and cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina to apply for the workshop “Inclusive decision-making in action: Citizens’ Assembly from theory to practice”. The focus will be on developing knowledge and skills relevant to...
Bosnia and Herzegovina step closer to systematic monitoring and reporting on freedom of expression and information
Institutional work continued this week in Sarajevo on finalising the first Pilot Report on freedom of expression and free access to information in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The report aims to support the country in fully implementing these freedoms in line with European standards. Relevant state...
International Roma Day 2025: Celebrating Culture and advancing Equality
On 8 April, the world comes together to celebrate International Roma Day, the anniversary of the First World Romani Congress, held in Chelsfield near London from 7–12 April 1971. This event was a turning point in the Roma political organisation and rights advocacy movement, as it called for Roma...
CALL FOR TENDERS: Provision of local consultancy services in the field of electoral assistance
The Council of Europe is looking for a maximum of 40 providers of local consultancy services with expertise in one or more of the following fields: Capacity building of election administration and other stakeholders (including legal expertise) Inclusive electoral participation: women, the youth,...
From classrooms to communities, schools in Bosnia and Herzegovina embrace change
In the heart of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a transformative approach to education is reshaping schools into hubs of democratic culture, critical thinking, and community engagement. At the forefront of this change are three schools - each a newly established resource centre for democratic school...
Recognising and preventing discrimination in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s court practice, continuous training for judges and prosecutors
Continuous training for newly appointed judges and prosecutor continued this week in Sarajevo. This session focused on recognising different forms of discrimination and applying the European Convention on Human Rights and other human rights standards in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s court practice....
Bosnia and Herzegovina should re-open inclusive negotiations on comprehensive electoral and constitutional reform, says Congress
Bosnia and Herzegovina should pursue efforts to re-open political cross-party negotiations on electoral law and constitutional reform to address longstanding discriminatory provisions and shortcomings, as well as reinforce the capacities of the election administration, the transparency of...
Finding safety and hope: One year of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s first LGBTI shelter
"My stay at the shelter during the summer of 2024 truly changed my life. At the beginning of that year, I lost my independence. I was in an environment that did not support me, and looking back now, I realise I was searching for a way out. At a panel discussion, I heard an anonymous letter from a...
Enhanced freedom of expression in Bosnia and Herzegovina through a Council of Europe training on defamation and SLAPPs
A two-day training session dedicated to the promotion and protection of freedom of expression, with a specialised focus on the legal aspects of defamation and strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs), was held on 25-26 March 2025 on Jahorina. The event brought together...
Council of Europe supports strengthening of prison operational work and interagency co-operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Specialised training on prison operational work, intended for prison security staff acting as points of contact, was organised on 19-21 March 2025 in the State Prison of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The training session provided further support the strengthening of prison operational work within the...
Stronger money-laundering and terrorism-financing prevention through enhanced risk-based supervision of the non-financial sector
A two-day capacity-building workshop was held in Sarajevo to discuss improvements in applying risk-based approach to supervision for effective prevention of money laundering and terrorism financing, in line with findings and recommendations from the latest MONEYVAL report on Bosnia and...
Lawyers in Bosnia and Herzegovina strengthen knowledge on European human rights standards
A specialised training workshop was held this week in Banja Luka, providing lawyers with insights into the application of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) within the domestic legal framework. The educational workshop aimed to reinforce the participants’ knowledge and skills for...
Legal professionals in Bosnia and Herzegovina introduced to CEPEJ HELP online course, adapted to BiH context
More than 50 judges, court secretaries, and legal professionals from across Bosnia and Herzegovina gathered today to launch the CEPEJ-HELP* online training “Quality of Justice – The Work of the European Commission for the efficiency of justice (CEPEJ).” The course aims to enhance judicial...
Enhancing financial investigations and asset recovery in BiH: Capacity building for law enforcement and judiciary
A specialized capacity-building workshop on improving law enforcement and judicial practices in Bosnia and Herzegovina concerning financial investigations and asset recovery concluded today in Sarajevo. With the support of the Council of Europe experts, participants from courts, prosecutors’...
Council of Europe adopts new guidelines on prosecution of violent extremism
The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe has adopted new guidelines aimed at enhancing the prosecution of violent extremism conducive to terrorism. These guidelines, developed by the Committee on Counter-Terrorism (CDCT), provide strategies for prosecuting violent far-right, far-left,...
CyberSEE: Bosnia and Herzegovina moves towards the signature and implementation of the Second Additional Protocol to the Convention on Cybercrime
On 4 March 2025, the European Union-Council of Europe joint project CyberSEE, in cooperation with the criminal justice authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, organised a high-level domestic workshop in Sarajevo in support of the country’s efforts towards the signature and implementation of the...
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