Council of Europe secretary general: BiH must implement ECHR rulings

Berset is on a three-day visit to Sarajevo to present the Council of Europe’s action plan for BiH until 2029, a key part of which concerns implementing ECHR judgments, including those aimed at removing discrimination in the electoral system.

The Court has issued around ten rulings finding BiH responsible for violations of citizens’ electoral rights. The best known is the 2009 Sejdić-Finci case, which found that members of ethnic minorities are discriminated against because they cannot stand for the tripartite Presidency or be elected to the House of Peoples, where seats are reserved for Bosniaks, Croats and Serbs.

None of these rulings have been implemented to date.

Berset said he expects this to change, adding that while the task is not easy, the Council of Europe is ready to help BiH build a system based on shared European values.

Presidency Chair Denis Bećirović said BiH is aware of its obligation to implement ECHR rulings in order to eliminate systemic discrimination and ensure equality before the law for all citizens.

He also said there is no room in the country for new divisions, ethnic partition lines or ideas of a third entity, calling such concepts unacceptable to the vast majority of citizens.