In its fifth opinion published on Monday 24 June, the Advisory Committee of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (FCNM) “urges Bosnia and Herzegovina to address alarming trends and persistent challenges concerning the country’s 17 registered national minorities”.
The Council of Europe’s experts note a “society remains deeply divided along ethnic lines, exacerbating political and rhetorical hostilities among its constituent peoples – Bosniaks, Serbs, and Croats”.
A division, they add, that hinders the country’s overall development.
This discrimination is particularly blatant in the education system (separate schools, refusal to address the war of the 1990s which hampers efforts at national reconciliation, etc.) as well as in terms of political participation and access to public office, an area where the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights have still not been applied, eroding confidence in democratic institutions and governance.
The lack of support for minority languages is also criticised, as is the persistent discrimination against the Roma, the largest national minority.
Emigration, which remains a major challenge for the country, disproportionately affects national minorities, it adds.
The report is accompanied by a series of recommendations for these different areas.
In addition, a full census has been requested in order to more accurately assess the demographic composition of the country and the needs of minorities.
Link to the opinion: https://aeur.eu/f/cs9 (Original version in French by Véronique Leblanc)