The Freedom House NGO published its latest report, titled 'Countries in Transition - From Weakening Democracy to Authoritarian Aggression,' which, along with Serbia, saw Bosnia and Herzegovina lag the most in the Western Balkans.

Of the seven Western Balkan countries that include Albania, BiH, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Northern Macedonia and Serbia, the biggest setbacks in general, ie in the fields of civil society, media independence and corruption, were recorded in Serbia (46% in total), and immediately behind Serbia is Bosnia and Herzegovina with a decline in the areas of civil society and democratic governance at the national level (a total decline of 38%).

Despite some progress made by Croatia and Montenegro in the areas of democratic governance at the local level, ie national governance, the two countries have not made any overall progress, unlike Kosovo, the only country in the region to has made overall progress in the report. ie, progress in the areas of democratic governance at the national level and the judiciary.

In its report, Freedom House stressed that eight countries, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, entered the category of hybrid regimes in 2004, and none of those countries has made progress outside that category. BiH has also been described as “partially free”.

Freedom House singled out the amendments to the law banning the denial of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in general, imposed by former High Representative Valentin Inzko, as one of the key events in 2021 in BiH. It pointed out that the law was welcomed by some politicians and activists in the fight against genocide denial, but that it provoked strong opposition among Serbian nationalist leaders in the Republika Srpska (RS) entity.

It is further stated that Milorad Dodik, a Serb member of the BiH Presidency, announced the withdrawal of the RS from state institutions, including the Armed Forces, the highest judicial bodies and the tax administration, which caused fear of the crisis caused by secession.
The third key event of the past year is the failure to negotiate changes to the country’s electoral legislation. The report recalled that the United States mediated in the negotiations, and the goal of the initiative was to resolve court rulings against provisions on the ethnic representation that exclude certain segments of the population from certain positions, including the Presidency.