Bosnia and Herzegovina: Will Europe Make Democracy Work?
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Will Europe Make Democracy Work?

Summary/Abstract: Abstract. In terms of legal frameworks and institutional stability, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) can be said to fulfil the formal conditions for democracy. Yet BiH falls short on democratic substance. The country lacks active citizen participation, horizontal and vertical accountability, true freedom of the media, issue-driven public discourse, and political dialogue. The Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) that BiH signed with the European Union (EU) on 16 June 2008 has been considered one of the most significant political developments since the signing of the Dayton Agreement in 1995. In spite of this positive development, the feeling that the status of democracy in BiH has substantially deteriorated since the 2006 elections remains prevalent. Furthermore, the political leadership has revived memories of past injustices in order to manipulate the public and win support for policies intended to maintain the status quo. Representatives of international organizations and states have increasingly seen the “disengagement” of the Office of the High Representative (OHR) in connection with a more enforced European integration reform agenda.

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