A draft situation analysis of the legal framework for establishing and operating civil society organisations in Bosnia and Herzegovina was published for comment on 29 September 2026.
The analysis was prepared within the EU-funded project Capacity-building for the Bosnia and Herzegovina governments to include CSOs into decision-making. It assesses the laws on associations and foundations at state level, in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republika Srpska, Brčko District and West Herzegovina Canton against the European Convention on Human Rights and the case law of the European Court of Human Rights, Council of Europe Recommendation CM/Rec(2007)14, the joint guidelines of the Venice Commission and OSCE/ODIHR, and relevant EU instruments. Civil society organisations, experts and institutions may submit comments until 15 October 2026, and the final version will take them into account.
An enabling environment for civil society is key priority 11 of the European Commission's Opinion on Bosnia and Herzegovina's application for EU membership.