Author: Jos Boonstra
The legislature’s role in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s security sector governance is limited. Parliaments rarely initiate security and defence legislation, and security oversight committees largely fail to hold the executive to account. While the country’s complicated governance system and the lack of political will are a hindrance to comprehensive reform, they need not prevent all progress toward democratisation and EU membership. This study offers a recipe for boosting parliamentary capacity and cooperation, with a view to establishing a healthier culture of security oversight.
Key points:
- Bosnia and Herzegovina’s security sector underwent reform two decades ago, but development has since stalled and earlier achievements are now at risk due to weak security sector governance.
- Parliamentary oversight of security in Bosnia and Herzegovina is hampered by a complicated governance system and a lack of political will, while citizens, civil society, and the European Union appear increasingly disengaged from the legislature.
- The legal framework for security sector oversight is solid; both state and entity parliaments employ dedicated staff, and elected representatives are inclined to cooperate – in sum, offering opportunities for positive change toward more active, responsible, and independent legislatures and security oversight.
