Security in the Western Balkans: Bosnia’s Dual Challenge

Virtual (Zoom)

16 December 2021

16:00-17:30 CET (Brussels)

Bosnia and Herzegovina is facing a dual challenge that threatens to undo the agreement that ended a war between Serbs, Croats and Bosnian Muslims (Bosniaks), with the Republika Srpska pushing to cut most ties with the central government, and Bosniaks and Croats at loggerheads about how to carry out long-overdue reforms of the electoral system ahead of October 2022 national elections. The fragile status quo in the country is facing “its greatest existential threat of the post-war period”, the present high representative said in a report to the UN.

Without serious efforts to reverse Serb secessionism and the potential election boycott, Bosnia looks set to disintegrate politically within the next eighteen months or so, potentially leaving in its wake a breakaway Republika Srpska entity that is unlikely to win international recognition and the remnants of the Federation paralysed by Bosniak-Croat feuds.

In this virtual roundtable, Crisis Group Western Balkans analysts and invited experts from civil society, the EU and more will discuss the current situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina and will look at how international actors, including the EU, can contribute to stability in the country and make sure that it goes through the October 2022 elections in one piece. A full list of speakers will be distributed closer to the date.

The panel is public and will be livestreamed on Youtube.

Please register via this link.

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