Name :
Date :
1. Why has Bosnia and Herzegovina been labeled the “champion of stagnation” in EU
integration?
Answer:
Despite receiving candidate status, B-H lacks a reform agenda, a negotiating
framework, and key political appointments. These delays are rooted in deep ethnic-
political fragmentation and reliance on international governance structures like the
OHR.
2. What role does the Office of High Representative (OHR) play in B-H’s political
paralysis?
Answer:
Though intended to maintain peace post-Dayton, the OHR’s unelected authority
undermines local political agency and accountability, stalling the development of self-
sustaining institutions.
3. Why are EU constitutional and electoral reform demands controversial in B-H?
Answer:
They challenge the power-sharing mechanisms between Bosniaks, Croats, and Serbs.
While these mechanisms are criticized for promoting ethnic entrenchment, they also
prevent majoritarian dominance and preserve peace.
4. How do domestic divisions impact EU integration?
Answer:
A lack of national consensus—especially between the Federation and Republika
Srpska—on basic state functions and identity blocks necessary legislative, institutional,
and symbolic reforms.
5. Why does the EU not call for the abolition of the OHR?
Answer:
The EU values the OHR as a safeguard for peace, but this stance contradicts EU
principles of democratic legitimacy and sovereignty, showing a double standard in
external governance.
6. How do external interventions hinder domestic compromise?
Answer:
By deferring difficult decisions to international actors, domestic leaders avoid
accountability and compromise, which deepens public disillusionment and perpetuates
dependency.
7. Can B-H join the EU as an international protectorate?
Answer:
No. Full membership requires sovereign governance, which is incompatible with the
current international oversight regime. The EU demands not just legal reforms, but
political maturity.
