2023 and 2024 Commission reports on Bosnia and Herzegovina

Amendments tabled for the plenary sitting on this text, in their own numbering series. This is a different set from the committee amendments tracked elsewhere on AmendEU, and is not counted in any of the site’s amendment totals.

1. Amendment 1PPEMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 58
   Current text

   58. Welcomes the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, which includes the Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans, envisaging an indicative allocation for more than EUR 1 billion for BiH; regrets that BiH remains the only country in the Western Balkans that has not adopted a reform agenda; urges the Council of ministers and the cantons of BiH to unblock the adoption of its reform agenda without further delay in order to avoid its funding allocation being distributed among the other Western Balkan countries, and to establish a robust mechanism for transparent, inclusive and timely monitoring of its implementation; emphasises the need to prioritise key areas such as public administra…

   Amendment

   58. Welcomes the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, which includes the Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans, envisaging an indicative allocation for more than EUR 1 billion for BiH; welcomes the adoption of a draft reform agenda by BiH’s Council of ministers; calls on BiH’s competent authorities to ensure the swift adoption of its reform agenda without further delay in order to avoid its funding allocation being distributed among the other Western Balkan countries, and to establish a robust mechanism for transparent, inclusive and timely monitoring of its implementation; emphasises the need to prioritise key areas such as public administration, the rule of law, anti-corruptio…

   Excerpt — full text in the official PDF.
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2. Amendment 2PfEMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 29 a (new)
   Amendment

   29a. Stresses that BiH remains a transit and production country for drug trafficking and continues to face serious challenges related to organised crime and Islamist terrorist groups; recalls that these groups also threaten the EU and underlines that strong external border management and effective cross-border cooperation between the EU and BiH are essential to counter these threats;

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3. Amendment 3PPEMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 40 a (new)
   Amendment

   40a. Calls on the Bosnia and Herzegovina institutions, as recommended by the Human Rights Ombudsman of Bosnia and Herzegovina, to adopt legislation to ensure the effective and equal use of all three of its official languages, namely Croatian, Bosnian and Serbian, as well as both the Latin and Cyrillic scripts, in external communication with citizens; emphasises that the violation of the right to equal use of language and script breaches the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Article 2 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Article 14 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms;

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4. Amendment 4ECRMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 30 a (new)
   Amendment

   30a. Calls on the Bosnian authorities to cooperate fully with the authorities of the Member States in order to tackle Bosnian pickpocket gangs operating in many European cities, which undermine the level of security in public transport;

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5. Amendment 5ECRMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 32 a (new)
   Amendment

   32a. Recalls that BiH is a key transit country for irregular immigration on the Balkan route; considers that tackling local mafia and police corruption facilitating smuggling networks should be a priority; underlines that ‘safe houses’ hosting illegal migrants are actually part of human trafficking networks and that violence and torture are reported in some of these places, mostly targeting women;

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6. Amendment 6ESNMotion for a resolution · Recital A
   Current text

   A. whereas enlargement is one of the EU’s most effective foreign policy instruments and a geostrategic investment in peace, democracy, stability, security and prosperity on the European continent, and remains of crucial importance, particularly in the context of rapid major geopolitical shifts and growing competition with authoritarian regimes;

   Amendment

   A. whereas the EU should not consider further enlargement as a strategic priority by default, particularly when a candidate country is marked by deep ethnic divisions and cultural or religious values that differ significantly from those of the Member States;

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7. Amendment 7ESNMotion for a resolution · Recital M a (new)
   Amendment

   Ma. whereas more than 50 % of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s population identifies with Islam, a factor that carries significant implications for the compatibility with the Member States’ legal, historical and value-based heritage;

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8. Amendment 8ESNMotion for a resolution · Recital M b (new)
   Amendment

   Mb. whereas Bosnia and Herzegovina has a high level of organised crime activity; whereas according to the 2024 Organised Crime Index, mafia-style groups, along with smaller criminal networks, are involved in various criminal activities, often collaborating across ethnic lines;

   official amendment document ↗
9. Amendment 9ESNMotion for a resolution · Recital M c (new)
   Amendment

   Mc. whereas the Balkan region is a key transit route for illegal migration; whereas Europol has identified the Western Balkan route as one of two primary illegal migration corridors into the EU; whereas in 2023, the Bosnia and Herzegovina-Croatia border was the second most used crossing point for migrant smuggling in the Balkans; whereas in 2024 criminal networks further intensified their activities on the Bosnia and Herzegovina-Croatia-Slovenia route;

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10. Amendment 10ESNMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 1 a (new)
    Amendment

    1a. Stresses that enlargement cannot be pursued at the expense of political stability, economic discipline and the cultural values of the Member States;

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11. Amendment 11ESNMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 2
    Current text

    2. Welcomes the European Council’s decision to open accession negotiations with BiH in the context of the changed geopolitical reality following Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine; welcomes the adoption of several key laws in the run-up to this decision, but regrets that the positive reform dynamic has stalled, and notes the inadequate implementation and enforcement of the adopted laws; regrets that the legislative process has been marred by a lack of transparency and limited access for key stakeholders; notes the recent adoption of the Laws on Border Control and on Personal Data Protection and calls for their thorough implementation; calls for preparations to establish the instituti…

    Amendment

    2. Rejects the European Council’s decision to open accession negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina; considers that the decision to open accession negotiations is essentially a strategic decision in response to Russia’s war against Ukraine; considers that pre-accession aid will only put a further drain on the resources of the EU and its Member States and that the EU integration of Bosnia and Herzegovina will lead to additional political, institutional and financial problems in the EU, also fostering corruption; pleads instead for a geostrategic alignment of foreign, economic and development policy to counter the influence of various foreign actors in Bosnia and Herzegovina and for a mutual…

    Excerpt — full text in the official PDF.
    official amendment document ↗
12. Amendment 12ESNMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 13 a (new)
    Amendment

    13a. Is concerned about Türkiye’s deepening political, economic and cultural influence on Bosnia and Herzegovina; is concerned about Türkiye’s growing presence through direct investments, religious institutions, bilateral agreements and political support for specific communities;

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13. Amendment 13ESNMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 26 a (new)
    Amendment

    26a. Is worried that massive EU funding under various programmes and pre-accession aid risks fuelling the entrenched corruption; considers that public trust in the EU will only erode further when citizens see corrupt practices being rewarded with financial gains; calls for strict conditionality, full transparency and independent audit mechanisms to ensure that funds are wisely spent in the way they are meant to be and not misused for personal gain or diverted to politically motivated structures;

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14. Amendment 14ESNMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 38
    Current text

    38. Condemns the RS entity’s adoption of legislative amendments that have removed gender identity as a protected characteristic, and those that no longer guarantee protection for children of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities;

    Amendment

    38. Welcomes the RS entity’s adoption of legislative amendments that have removed gender identity as a protected characteristic, and those that no longer guarantee protection for children of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities;

    official amendment document ↗
15. Amendment 15ESNMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 47
    Current text

    47. Recalls the need for solidarity-based and fair migration and asylum management that combines upholding human rights with effective border control; calls on the EU to help BiH to take full responsibility for the management of reception centres, which are often at the border with the EU, to ensure sufficient reception conditions, and to guarantee access to effective and feasible asylum procedures in full respect for international law and human rights; is concerned about reports of insufficient reception conditions in the EU-funded centre in Lipa; stresses the need to increase transparency and democratic scrutiny in the allocation and implementation of EU funds in the field of migration; we…

    Amendment

    47. Recalls the need for efficient migration and asylum management, effective border control and an effective returns policy; is worried about the rise in migrant smuggling and the increasing involvement of various international actors, often drawn from migrant populations; notes that criminal groups now include smugglers from Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Morocco, Algeria, Türkiye and the Netherlands; hopes that Bosnia and Herzegovina’s upgraded status agreement with Frontex will contribute to the prevention of illegal migration and the strengthening of the security of the region; urges Bosnia and Herzegovina to step up its efforts against cross-border crime, especially human trafficking; consi…

    Excerpt — full text in the official PDF.
    official amendment document ↗
16. Amendment 16ESNMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 48 a (new)
    Amendment

    48a. Deplores the fact that Bosnia and Herzegovina continues to serve as a key transit country for illegal migration towards the EU; stresses that its weak institutional capacity and inconsistent border management pose a persistent risk to the Member States’ internal security;

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17. Amendment 17ESNMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 74 a (new)
    Amendment

    74a. Opposes Bosnia and Herzegovina’s accession to the European Union;

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