Brussels – A new obstacle has emerged on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s path to European Union membership. The National Assembly of Republika Srpska has ordered Serb representatives in state institutions to boycott votes on Sarajevo’s EU integration efforts until what it calls a “politically motivated process” against their leader Milorad Dodik is halted.
Bosnian Serb lawmakers announced the decision during an emergency session held on 25 December, convened to address the trial of the President of Republika Srpska, who is being prosecuted in Sarajevo’s State Court for refusing to comply with decisions made by High Representative Christian Schmidt. A pro-Russian nationalist, the President of Republika Srpska was indicted by State prosecutors in August 2023 after signing laws that suspended rulings by both the Constitutional Court and the High Representative.
Under the Dayton Agreement, which ended the ethnic war in 1995, the country was divided into two autonomous entities: the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska. These entities are linked through a central government in Sarajevo, operating under the oversight of an international authority. The High Representative’s ‘Bonn Powers’ allow for the dismissal of public officials who violate legal obligations and the imposition of binding decisions when local actors are unwilling or unable to act.
Bosnian Serb lawmakers view Dodik’s trial as politically motivated and based on “illegal” decisions by Schmidt. Consequently, they have instructed Serb representatives in Sarajevo to block decision-making and legislative reforms critical for Sarajevo’s EU integration—just nine months after the country was granted candidate status by the European Council.
The EU delegation in Sarajevo—along with embassies of the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy—condemned this action as “a serious threat to the country’s constitutional order and as such are anti-Dayton,” directly undermining the authority of State-level rule of law institutions and Sarajevo’s Euro-Atlantic path. “At a time where formal opening of EU accession negotiations has never been so close, a return to political blockades would have negative consequences for all citizens, a majority of whom support EU accession.”
The Republika Srpska issue in Bosnia
Dodik has been one of the main obstacles to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s progress towards EU membership for years. Since October 2021, he has been championing a secessionist agenda, seeking to remove central state control in crucial areas such as the military, tax system, and judiciary, more than 20 years after the end of the country’s ethnic war. The European Parliament has called for economic sanctions in response to these moves.
Concerns intensified in late March 2023 when the Bosnian Serb government proposed a draft law establishing a registry of foreign-funded organisations and foundations. The so-called ‘foreign agents’ law mirrors one enacted in Moscow in December 2022 and was approved by the Banja Luka National Assembly in late September, drawing sharp criticism from Brussels. Simultaneously, amendments to the Criminal Code were proposed to reintroduce penalties for defamation, which came into effect on 18 August. These laws, which impose fines for defamation committed through the media, have raised serious concerns about freedom of speech in Republika Srpska.
The secessionist provocations were further compounded by Dodik’s ties with Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. On 20 September 2022, he visited Moscow for talks with Putin, provoking Western partners by endorsing the illegal annexation of Russian-occupied regions in Ukraine. These provocations continued in January 2023, when Dodik awarded Putin the Order of Republika Srpska, the highest honour of the Serb-majority entity in Bosnia, during Republika Srpska’s National Day celebrations – a holiday deemed unconstitutional under State law.
On 23 May 2023, Dodik’s second trip to Moscow led to concerns in Brussels about the EU’s failure to impose sanctions. Although EU sources revealed a framework of restrictive measures had been prepared for some time, Viktor Orbán’s Hungary blocked their implementation, as foreign policy decisions require unanimity within the Council.
