EU Report on Bosnia: Soreka Calls It a Lost Year
The European Commission records no progress in Bosnia on the judiciary, fighting corruption and media freedom, and the deadline for Growth Plan money expires at the end of 2026.
The European Commission published its 2026 report on Bosnia and Herzegovina in Brussels today, and Luigi Soreka, head of the EU Delegation and the Union’s special representative in Bosnia, handed it to the Chair of the Council of Ministers, Borjana Kristo. The document concludes that the country is moving further away from the European path. For readers in Serbia it is more than a neighbor’s story: the report also mentions the burial of Ratko Mladic in Belgrade, which was attended by leaders and politicians from Republika Srpska.
The report covers the period from September 1, 2025 to September 1, 2026. We previously reported that Dodik made SNSD’s entry into the government in Bosnia conditional on three demands, and this document shows the state of the institutions in which those negotiations are taking place.
What did Soreka say at the handover?
Soreka reduced his assessment to one sentence: “Essentially, if we are talking about concrete progress, this was a lost year.” He added that since the start of the year he has repeatedly stressed that the deadline for reforms is the end of 2026.
Asked about Republika Srpska, he answered: “In recent months we have had the chance to hear a strong anti-European narrative coming from Republika Srpska.”
Soreka and Kristo held their talks one-on-one. According to a statement from the Council of Ministers, carried by RTRS, they exchanged views on the next steps, and the Council of Ministers said it was ready to draw up a timetable of upcoming activities with the European Commission.
Where does the Commission see backsliding?
The Commission states that most of last year’s recommendations remain unimplemented and that there is no progress on the judiciary, the fight against corruption, media freedom or the economy. On visa policy it records backsliding and asks Bosnia to end its visa-free regime with Azerbaijan, Qatar, Kuwait, Turkey, Russia, China and Vanuatu.
The report recalls the verdict against Milorad Dodik and his removal as President of Republika Srpska. It also states that in October 2025 the National Assembly of Republika Srpska declaratively repealed laws that the Constitutional Court of Bosnia had already struck down. The Commission condemns historical revisionism, the denial of genocide and the glorification of war crimes, especially in Republika Srpska after the death of Ratko Mladic, and calls such conduct “fundamentally incompatible with EU values”.
According to the report, SNSD controls ministries and bodies that obstruct the implementation of sanctions against Russia. The Constitutional Court of Bosnia still does not have its full complement of judges because the National Assembly of Republika Srpska has not appointed two new judges from among the Serb people. In a year, the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia passed only 12 laws, five of them under urgent procedure, and the country has had no chief negotiator for more than two and a half years.
The economic figures point the same way: GDP growth slowed from 2.1 percent in 2025 to 1.7 percent in the first quarter of 2026, and GDP per capita fell to 36 percent of the EU average.
How much money can Bosnia lose?
The most concrete consequence concerns the Growth Plan. Bosnia adopted its reform agenda in September 2025, but it has not yet signed and ratified the agreements on the Facility and the loan, nor has it appointed a coordinator. Because the agenda was submitted late, its implementation period was shortened and the indicative allocation was cut by 10 percent. Bosnia can now receive at most 976.6 million euros in loans and grants.
The grace period for the first tranche of reforms expires at the end of 2026. If the legal framework and conditions are not met by then, the Commission warns, Bosnia will lose those funds. Klix adds that Bosnia is the only Western Balkan country that has not yet received a single euro from the Reform and Growth Facility.
The report also contains positive assessments: the Commission points to the arrival of Frontex in Bosnia, the adopted action plans against human trafficking and the working arrangement with Eurojust. After the general elections held on October 4, it asks that all executive and legislative bodies be formed and that renewed commitment to rapid reforms be shown.
