Germany urged the European Union to impose sanctions on BiH tripartite Presidency member, Milorad Dodik, because of his efforts to pull BiH's Republika Srpska (RS) entity out of the country’s armed forces, judiciary and tax system, Reuters reported on Monday.

Dodik is trying to roll back post-war reforms in Bosnia and return to the original 1995 constitution, under which most of the powers belonged to the country’s two regions – the Bosnian Serb-dominated RS and the Federation (FBiH), mostly populated by Bosniaks and Croats.

The move is seen as a step towards independence from Bosnia and Herzegovina – a move the leaders of the semi-autonomous RS entity have announced many times, primarily Dodik.

“Efforts to break away are unacceptable, and this means, too – and I have lobbied for this here – that the existing sanctions regime should also be used against Mr. Dodik now,” the agency quoted German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, who spoke to reporters after meeting her EU counterparts in Brussels.

Her predecessor Heiko Maas made similar comments ahead of a meeting of EU European affairs ministers at which the situation in Bosnia will be discussed.

EU leaders will discuss the situation in the Balkans with the bloc's eastern neighbours on Wednesday, Reuters reported.