New legislation seeks to secure funding and protect personnel as Bosnia’s demining workforce halves

According to the Bosnia and Herzegovina Mine Action Centre (BHMAC), active clearance efforts could render the country mine-free by 2036 under an optimal scenario supported by stable financing. Without legislative adoption and amid dwindling foreign donor support, driven in part by international resources shifting toward Ukraine, completion could be delayed until roughly 2045.

The draft legislation introduces a requirement for state, entity, and Brcko District institutions to allocate at least 0.2 percent of their annual budgets to demining. Ministry of Civil Affairs estimates based on 2026 budget projections indicate this mandatory allocation would cover about 60 percent of the required 61 million Bosnian marks (approx. €31.11 million) needed to clear 75 square kilometres annually. For 2026, the 0.2 percent allocation from state-level institutions alone equals 3.161 million marks (approx. €1.61 million).

Beyond financing, the bill addresses an aging and shrinking workforce, which has fallen from over 2,000 personnel pre-pandemic to around 1,100 today. Key operational units, including the Armed Forces Demining Battalion, currently face significant staffing shortages. The proposed law seeks to regulate early retirement, preferential pension terms, risk allowances, and statutory benefits for all operational personnel entering suspected minefields.

The draft has completed public consultations and gathered input from relevant state and entity bodies before its planned submission to the Council of Ministers.