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Bosnia judicial reforms, media network and EU scrutiny

Updated 2 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-08-08 17:44 UTC → 2026-08-19 15:50 UTC · added removed

In mid-July 2026, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council (VSTV) confirmed a large batch of judicial appointments across the Federation, Republika Srpska, and Brčko District, prioritizing legal expertise, integrity, and gender-ethnic balance. Simultaneously, the VSTV continued negotiations with the European Union regarding amendments to its Rules of Procedure for external experts overseeing asset disclosures. While the EU accepted four of five disputed points, a disagreement persists over whether experts should be proposed by Expertise France or the VSTV itself. Recent reports from the Asset Verification Department highlighted staffing shortages, delayed filings, and limited cooperation from several Western Balkan states, including denied information requests from Germany, Austria, Turkey, and Slovenia. states. During this period, the VSTV also operationalized the "Pravosudna mreža," “Pravosudna mreža,” a judicial network designed to coordinate communication between courts, prosecutors, and the media. With statutes adopted in March 2026, the network designated fifteen judges and prosecutors as media liaisons. While journalists welcomed the initiative to improve transparency, they expressed concerns regarding the consistency of judicial engagement. By August 2026, the VSTV faced increased pressure from the European Union regarding asset intensified scrutiny. Following investigative reports from the Center for Investigative Reporting (CIN) alleging significant unexplained property and bank assets held by a that former judge Jovanka Jovanović and her husband, Janko, acquired 13 properties totaling approximately 720,000 KM and held a Swiss bank account once valued at nearly 3 million KM, the EU warned that the VSTV's VSTV’s modifications to regulations concerning external asset verification experts regulations could lead to a cessation of funding and threaten the country's European integration path. integration. Amidst these challenges, the VSTV issued a call for political and media actors to cease attempts to influence judicial proceedings. This followed reports regarding Judge Gordana Marić of the District Commercial Court in Banja Luka in a case involving RTRS and BHRT. The Council emphasized that judicial independence is a constitutional requirement and warned that attempts to discredit judges undermine public trust.

Versions

  1. 2026-08-19 15:50 UTC Bosnia judicial reforms, media network and EU scrutiny
  2. 2026-08-08 17:44 UTC Bosnia judicial reforms, media network and EU scrutiny
  3. 2026-07-27 19:07 UTC Bosnia judicial reforms and media network

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