The European Parliament,

A. Confident that the Reform Agenda1 will not succeed without the assistance of
all three governments of Bosnia and Herzegovina,
B. Deeply concerned by the fact that the Dayton Agreement2 created a political
system that is complex and decentralised with the result that the decision
making process is extremely difficult within Bosnia and Herzegovina,
C. Aware of the fact that high unemployment rates exacerbate ethnic tensions
present in Bosnia and Herzegovina,
D. Deeply regretting that there is selective legal enforcement with different
religious groups,
E. Recognising that religious prejudice and discrimination is very common in
Bosnia and Herzegovina due to historical conflicts between the different
ethnicities,
F. Deeply alarmed that the government of the Republika Srpska threatens to
hold a referendum on the republics independence in 2018,
G. Aware of the unimplemented clauses in the Dayton Agreement regarding the
involvement of other ethnic minorities in politics,
H. Aware of religious intolerance in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the lack of
collaboration between religious groups,
I. Noting with deep regret that children inherit prejudice against different
ethnicities and religions,
J. Bearing in mind the existence of three similar languages (Serbian, Bosnian
and Croatian) which causes tensions in Bosnia and Herzegovina,
K. Noting with deep concern biased and exaggerated reporting increasing ethnic
tensions,
L. Observing politicians using religion in a polemic way adding to nationalistic
feelings and ethnic tensions within the country,
M. Noting with deep regret that ethnic minorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina
suffer from social exclusion;

1. Calls upon companies and organisations such as Alma Ras3 and the EU
Special Representative to Bosnia (EUSR) to promote their work that support
the Reform Agenda;

1
The Reform Agenda for Bosnia and Herzegovina 2015-2018, is a plan which was adopted by all governments
in order to prepare the country for EU accession.
"The Reform Agenda: Bosnia and Herzegovinas best chance", by EWB Archives, European Western Balkans,
2015
2
In 1995 the Dayton Agreement ended the Bosnian War, a conflict with over 100,000 fatalities and displaced
over 1 million citizens due to the ethnic violence between the Bosnian Muslims, Catholic Croats and Orthodox
Serbs."Is EU Membership the Solution to Rising Ethnic Tensions in Bosnia?", World Politics Review, by Mark S.
Smith 2017
3
Alma Ras is a high quality underwear and nightwear company for women and grew from a small family
business in Bosnia and Herzegovina to a global scale provider. About Us, Alma Ras, 2013 The company
however, has an interesting policy with regards to ethnicity; applicants are not asked if there are Serb, Bosniak
 2. Urges the present day representatives4 of the signatories of the 1995 Dayton
Agreement to modify Annex 4: Constitution5 by simplifying the decision
making process within Bosnia and Herzegovina;
3. Further requests the European Commission to allocate a section of Horizon
20206 funds to Bosnia and Herzegovina in order to promote growth of the
private sector;
4. Encourages the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe
(OSCE) to oversee police activity and take action whenever discrimination
occurs;
5. Further invites the national Ministry of Education to implement a mandatory
class about religion that would help promote tolerance between religious and
ethnic groups;
6. Urges the government of Republika Srpska to recognise and respect the
authority of the Peace Implementation Council and to abide by The Dayton
Agreement;
7. Further reminds the present day representatives 7 of the signatories of the
1995 Dayton Agreement to implement the promised reforms created after the
Sejdi-Finci vs BiH8 lawsuit;
8. Calls upon the work of The Inter-Religious Council of BiH to encourage the
establishment of new organisations that promote unification and tolerance
between ethnic groups as well as empower the youth to set aside
stereotypes;
9. Encourages the two main Television and Radio broadcasters, Radio
Television Republika Srpska and Federal Television, to promote acceptance
and respect for people of different ethnicities and religions through TV-shows,
movies, documentaries and radio podcasts;
10. Further requests the national government to:
a) make Bosnian the official national language,
b) allow cantons to choose their local government language,

or Croat, as they have a neutral recruitment policy. Bosnians work side-by-side to reduce ethnic tensions BBC
News, Guy Delauney, 2015
4
FR Yugoslavia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, United States, France, United Kingdom, Germany, Russia, European
Union
5
This is the section of The Dayton Agreement which created a complex political system consisting of two
entities and three presidents; one Bosniak, one Croat and one Serb.
Annex 4: Constitution, Dayton Accords, US Department of State, 1995
6
Horizon 2020 is a EU Research and Innovation programme with almost 80 billion funding available for during
2014 to 2020. It is meant to push economic growth, create jobs, and further innovation. The programme is
open to everyone.
7
FR Yugoslavia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, United States, France, United Kingdom, Germany, Russia, European
Union
8
The Dayton Agreement states that only those of Bosniak, Croat or Serb background are eligible for election to
the House of Peoples or Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This excludes national minorities of the
country. The European Court of Human Rights ruled that this was discrimination in 2009.Sejdic and Finci v.
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Litigation, Open Society Foundation, 2015
 c) implement the teaching of the Cyrillic alphabet to all students;

11. Further recommends the National Government to:

a) ensure equal media coverage to all political parties,
b) require all political activities are within the legal framework;

12. Calls for the European Federation of Journalists to ensure that the Code of
Ethics for Journalists is followed and respected by the media of Bosnia and
Herzegovina;

13. Draws attention to the national Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees to protect
ethnic minorities and include them in social outreach projects.