School of Political Studies in B&H

“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.

“Legacy of the Past and the Responsibility of Young Leaders for the Future” was the topic of the gathering organized on May 16 in Sarajevo by the Schools of Political Studies of Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, attended by participants and alumni of these two partner Schools.

The goal of this meeting was, through two separate panels titled “Consequences of War: Between Politics, Justice and Humanity” and “Legacy of the Past and the Responsibility of Young Leaders for the Future,” to create space through dialogue and exchange of experiences for participants of the Schools to discuss whether new generations can build a more stable and democratic future, as well as what the responsibility of young leaders today is in building dialogue, trust, and better neighbourly relations in the region.

During the discussion, there was talk about the consequences of the wars of the 1990s, the process of searching for missing persons, the relationship of societies in the region toward the wartime past, as well as the role of the media and institutions in the process of dealing with the past and building a culture of remembrance.

There was also discussion about how the wartime past still shapes the political and social space of the region today, in what ways political elites continue to use themes from the past, how much access young people have to objective information about the wars of the 1990s, and how new generations of politicians can contribute to building different regional relations based on dialogue, cooperation, and mutual understanding.

The School of Political Studies of the Council of Europe in Bosnia and Herzegovina (SPS BiH) organized the 1st National Seminar for the newly elected generation of participants, as planned in the annual program for 2026. The main objective of this seminar, entitled “STRENGTHENING DEMOCRATIC CULTURE AND POLITICAL DIALOGUE IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA”, was to provide young political leaders with access to European democratic standards and high-quality education in the field of democracy, with a particular focus on strengthening the culture of political dialogue.

This year’s generation consists of young participants recognized as emerging leaders in public and political life, selected based on strict political, social, geographical, and ethnic criteria. Participants come from across Bosnia and Herzegovina, representing different political parties and areas of public life from both entities, with equal gender representation.

Within the framework of the seminar’s main theme, SPS engaged highly qualified speakers, including representatives of the academic community, members of parliament, leading figures from civil society in Bosnia and Herzegovina, subject-matter experts, and diplomats. This created a strong platform for interactive dialogue between speakers and young politicians throughout the various sessions.

This year’s program is implemented with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia and in partnership with the Center for European Perspectives (CEP) from Slovenia.