Being a factory town best known for its steel mill and polluted air, Zenica is probably not the first place you would want to visit in Bosnia and Herzegovina. But the socialist face of Zenica and the nature that surrounds it is becoming more and more interesting for tourists, thanks to one young enthusiastic tour guide
The EU has invested considerable efforts in stimulating regional cooperation in the Balkans over the last decades, yet the results are questionable. Which are the reasons behind such slow progress and where does Bosnia and Herzegovina stand? We talked about it with Adnan Ćerimagić analyst at ESI
The exploitation of natural resources in Bosnia and Herzegovina causes indignation among citizens and numerous environmental protection associations. Geological research, the opening of new and the reactivation of old mines threaten basic human rights and the environment
Trieste, a border city, is the last stop on the Balkan route. In 2023 the data recorded an increase in the arrivals of unaccompanied minors. What does it mean to grow up along the Balkan route? What happens once in Trieste? An analysis
Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik once again attacks the EU, accusing it of applying double standards to Bosnia and Herzegovina on the integration path. But Dodik's own initiatives, which limit freedom of association and expression, are distancing the country from the European Union
On Thursday 20 July, the People's Assembly of the Republika Srpska adopted the Law on Amendments to the Criminal Code envisaging criminalization of defamation. Calls from international and local actors to protect freedom of speech and withdraw the controversial provision that qualifies defamation as a criminal offence have gone unheeded
To eventually access the European Union, the Western Balkans have to align their legislation with EU law. This includes the Green Deal, which commits countries to net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. However, there’s still quite a long way to go for the Western Balkans in their progress towards the green transition
The start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, paradoxically, may have avoided a new open confrontation in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This is one of the reflections by Edina Bećirević, a professor at the University of Sarajevo and an expert on Russian influence in the Western Balkans. An interview
Through entrepreneurial initiative, Ana and Jasmina have managed to bring back to life a story – that of river navigation – which involves different territories. The last episode of our report dedicated to the Kupa
The international conference "Bosnia and Herzegovina: Constitution and EU Accession", which concluded the international project within the CEI Know-how Exchange Program, financed by the CEI Fund (EBRD), was held on April 12, 2023 in ceremonial hall of the University of Sarajevo
The parliament of Republika Srpska approved in the first instance a bill to amend the criminal code which reintroduces the crime of defamation. Now sixty days of public debate and then back to the assembly. A dangerous step backwards for freedom of expression
Thousands of Bosnian soldiers served in the Austro-Hungarian ranks during the First World War. Now a project uncovers and recounts their traces in Trentino
Also in Bosnia and Herzegovina one of the major obstacles to the exercise of the journalistic profession is represented by the so-called SLAPPs, lawsuits seeking to silence or limit the work of journalists and civil rights activists
“A race against time” is the title of a recent report by the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) highlighting the delays in implementation of the country’s strategy for war crimes prosecution. The risk is to see the process prolonged for a number of years. While the completion of those trials was a top priority for the country only 15 years ago, it has now become hostage to political tensions in Bosnia
An assembly of citizens in BiH has proposed a way out of the age-old problem of constitutional reform, pending for years after the Sejdic-Finci ruling of 2009. An interview with Nenad Stojanovic
Almost thirty years after the genocide we are very far from starting a dialogue and a public discussion – in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in Europe – on the memory of what happened in Srebrenica. An interview with Andrea Rizza Goldstein
In the 1990s Alexander Langer, a South Tyrolean politician and MEP, devoted a great deal of effort to seeking peaceful solutions to the conflict in Bosnia. His writings have now been translated into Bosnian and will be the core of meetings for young people on human rights, ecology, and activism
The Croatian Regional Energy Agency (REGEA) has been working for several years along the cross-border area between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the dual objective of decarbonising the region and creating a competitive local market. “Environmental issues know no border”, says REGEA's Tamara Lisnjic Lang
Three decades after the outbreak of the war, Bosnia and Herzegovina's society is still far from being able to overcome divisions and warmongering rhetoric
Concern is growing in the Western Balkans about the evolution of the war in Ukraine. Geopolitical and economic issues make the region one of the areas particularly sensitive to possible serious repercussions linked to the ongoing conflict
By comparing the programs of the major political parties in Bosnia and Herzegovina it is possibile not only to explain the current paralyses of the country's political system, but also to guess what political and media tools the main political actors might use trying to change the current institutional structure of Bosnia and Herzegovina
A few years ago, a pest disease of chestnut trees began to spread along the border region between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia. The response given through the "Chestnut" project has shown that a cross-border approach to solving common problems is needed
How can the federal system of Bosnia and Herzegovina become more effective? Some proposals by Bojan Vlaški, professor of Law at Banja Luka University. A contribution to the debate we are gathering on the BiH reforms
The pandemic has dramatically affected the life of 28-year old Ivona and many other young people in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The desire to work, the search for civil rights, and the spectre of emigration: their gaze on the future
Under no circumstances can one Entity - after more than 15 years - simply "pull out the plug ", without taking care of the consequences for the other justice systems and the State as a whole
As long as it can control the ethnic division of society, the cartel of power, based on its negative consensus to divide and rule, has no legal-institutional incentives for inter-ethnic competition, let alone cooperation
It is now clear that constitutional reform in Bosnia and Herzegovina is as necessary as it is difficult. A possible solution could come from participatory constitutionalism
“VivaBiH” is the first registered organisation fighting for animal rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Since 2016, through projects and media campaigns, it has pursued the complete abolition of systems that exploit any animal, promoting veganism. An interview
Since 2018, many associations, international grassroots movements, and informal groups have taken action to support people in transit along the Balkan route. They stress the need for networking to counter the increasingly widespread criminalisation of organisations in solidarity with migrants