SARAJEVO, October 22 (FENA) – The Resource Center for Civil Society Organizations in BiH and the BH Journalists today presented the Roadmap and Action Plan for “Chapter 10 – Information Society and Media” from Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with the European Union.
The purpose of the presentation of the Roadmap for Chapter 10 of the SAA and the discussion on this topic is to inform the public, relevant institutions, media, and other civil society organizations about the progress achieved in the areas of internet, telecommunications, and the quality and accessibility of various media services.
Experts – external collaborators and representatives of the BH Journalists Association – worked on the development of the Roadmap and Action Plan for Chapter 10, in broad consultation with citizens, representatives of relevant state institutions and bodies, as well as the professional media, telecommunications, and IT communities.
Professor Haris Hasić stated that Chapter 10 exists to help BiH catch up with the information society and prepare for full EU membership as a single market and a major political entity. He noted that BiH has not aligned its legislation with the EU acquis in this area.
“Numerous problems exist. We lack some of the laws we should have, and the laws we do have are often outdated or obsolete. Another problem is that even when we adopt these laws, the job is not complete, because implementation becomes the issue. Implementation requires not only the adoption of subordinate legislation, but also competent institutions and personnel who understand this highly technical and complex area, so that regulations can actually be applied,” Hasić explained.
He also highlighted major issues regarding the independence and impartiality of regulatory bodies, especially in the field of public communications.
“This insufficient independence results from political interference in appointing leadership and controlling the financial existence of these institutions, as well as the lack of a transparent funding mechanism that would not depend on political demands,” Hasić added.
The project aimed to assess the current state of the sector and develop a series of proposals on how Bosnian authorities could improve progress, harmonize legislation, regulatory frameworks, and practices with EU standards and the acquis, from the perspective of service users and the professional community.
Journalist Rubina Čengić stated that BiH citizens increasingly see little benefit in EU accession, as the process is very lengthy and the rules often change alongside evolving EU procedures.
“People feel that new obligations are constantly being created, and indeed they are, because we respond slowly to existing obligations. Our field research showed that institutions are quite closed off in this EU accession process. They do not inform the public about their work or the benefits that result, while citizens often lack sufficient media and political literacy,” Čengić explained.
During the preparation of the Roadmap for Chapter 10, five focus groups were held between June and July 2025, gathering views from experts, government representatives, regulatory bodies, and civil society organizations.
Desk research was conducted on Bosnian and European legislation, along with ten in-depth interviews with relevant actors in the media, telecommunications, and IT sectors. Based on these sources, recommendations and strategic guidelines were formulated, forming the core of the Roadmap for Chapter 10 of the SAA.
The Roadmap notes that BiH has undertaken the obligation to align with EU standards in the field of information society and media, but progress is slow due to institutional fragmentation, lack of political will, and inconsistencies in regulations across different levels of government. Specific challenges include the absence of a unified state-level legal framework for electronic communications, the lack of a national information security strategy, limited capacities of regulatory bodies, and low digital and media literacy among the population.
