As a potential candidate for EU membership, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) committed itself to implementing the Stabilization and Association Agreement. Although the EU provides guidance to the BiH authorities on reform priorities as part of the European Partnership, it is BiH’s responsibility to meet the political criteria set by the EU. These require stable and functional institutions that guarantee democracy, the rule of law, human rights, and respect for and protection of minorities at all levels of governance. However, there has been little consensus on how to achieve the main reform priorities the EU accession process requires.

 

The Strengthening Governing Institutions and Processes Project supports BiH efforts toward Euro-Atlantic integration by strengthening the capacity of the country’s governing institutions to adopt, implement, and account for more effective policies, laws, and budgets that address critical EU accession related issues. More specifically, the project’s activities improve governance at both the State and Federation levels, while also supporting increased citizen participation in governing institutions and processes.

 

In addition to working closely with the country’s State and Federation Parliaments, this project works with selected ministries within the government, along with selected cantonal governments, civil society organizations, and other development partners across the project’s four components. These components are:

The Strengthening Governing Institutions and Processes Project works side-by-side with partners in the parliaments and executive branches of government, providing hands-on technical assistance, supplemented by other knowledge transfer methods. Project activities support executive institutions in six policy areas: health, environment, local economic development, justice sector reform, gender equality and youth. These activities strengthen partners’ capacities to carry out participatory planning, budgeting and oversight processes and to adopt EU-compliant legislation. Activities also anchor civil society and the growing BiH policy community firmly within all phases of the processes, creating and strengthening linkages while increasing accountability.