26/05/2026
“BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA AND GLOBAL CHALLENGES; EUROPEAN AND EURO-ATLANTIC INTEGRATION” was the topic of the three-day seminar of the School of Political Studies of the Council of Europe in Bosnia and Herzegovina, held last weekend.
A very important topic for Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is currently in a complex political and social moment, marked by slowed reform processes, deep political divisions and pronounced mistrust among key political actors. Despite the formally declared commitment to membership in the European Union and NATO alliance, the process of European and Euro-Atlantic integration has for many years been facing serious stagnation. The lack of political consensus on key state issues, frequent institutional blockades, strong divisive rhetoric, as well as the focus of political elites on short-term political interests instead of reform priorities, significantly slow down the progress of Bosnia and Herzegovina on its European path.
At the same time, global political and security circumstances further complicate the position of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The war in Ukraine, war in the Middle East, tensions over Taiwan, the energy and economic crisis, the rise of populism and the strengthening of geopolitical influences of various international actors have shown how important stable institutions, democratic capacities and international partnerships are for the security and development of every state. In such circumstances, Bosnia and Herzegovina is facing the particular challenge of preserving political stability and the functionality of institutions, but also the need to accelerate reform processes in order to become more resilient to external and internal pressures.