III 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 529 

Supporting a democratic, pluralistic, and prosperous Bosnia and Herzegovina 

on the 30th Anniversary of its declaration of independence. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 2, 2022 

Mrs. SHAHEEN (for herself, Mr. JOHNSON, Mr. MURPHY, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. 

WICKER, and Mr. PETERS) submitted the following resolution; which was 

referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Supporting a democratic, pluralistic, and prosperous Bosnia 

and Herzegovina on the 30th Anniversary of its declaration of independence. 

Whereas Bosnia and Herzegovina has historically been a pluralistic society influenced by and composed of a diverse 

set of religions, cultures, and ethnicities; 

Whereas, on March 3, 1992, Bosnia and Herzegovina declared independence, and on April 7, 1992, the United 

States recognized Bosnia and Herzegovina as an independent state; 

Whereas more than 100,000 people died and 2,000,000 more 

were displaced in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 

and 1995; 


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Whereas the United States, alongside the North Atlantic 

Treaty Organization (NATO), played a crucial role in 

ending the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina and brokering 

the General Framework Agreement for Bosnia and 

Herzegovina (also known as the ‘‘Dayton Agreement’’ 

and the ‘‘Dayton Accords’’) in November 1995; 

Whereas the Dayton Accords ended the war, affirmed the territorial integrity and political independence of Bosnia and 

Herzegovina, established the Federation of Bosnia and 

Herzegovina, Republika Srpska, and two tiers of government at the state, entity, district, canton, and municipal 

levels, installed the NATO Stabilization Force (SFOR) as 

an international interim peacekeeping force, and created 

the Office of the High Representative for Bosnia and 

Herzegovina (OHR) to oversee civilian implementation of 

the accords; 

Whereas, since the Dayton Accords were signed, the Government and people of Bosnia and Herzegovina have made 

important strides toward re-building a peaceful society 

based on democracy, human rights, the rule of law, and 

a free-market economy; 

Whereas, in 2004, the United Nations Security Council 

adopted United Nations Security Council Resolution 

1575 authorizing a multinational stabilization force led 

by the European Union (EUFOR) as the legal successor 

to SFOR in Bosnia and Herzegovina; 

Whereas, in 2008, the Peace Implementation Council Steering Board set out the requirements that need to be met 

prior to the closure of the OHR in the 5+2 Agenda; 

Whereas, since 2009 and the case of Sejdic ́-Finci, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has issued judgVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:22 Mar 03, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR529.IS SR529

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•SRES 529 IS 

ments concerning ethnic- and territory-based discrimination in the elections of Bosnia and Herzegovina and requiring reforms, which have yet to be implemented; 

Whereas Bosnia and Herzegovina was invited to join a 

NATO Membership Action Plan in 2010, and Bosnia and 

Herzegovina submitted its first Reform Program to 

NATO in 2019; 

Whereas Bosnia and Herzegovina formally applied for European Union membership on February 15, 2016; 

Whereas, on May 29, 2019, the European Union adopted a 

roadmap to membership for Bosnia and Herzegovina, 

outlining needed reforms in the areas of democracy, the 

rule of law, fundamental rights, and public administration; 

Whereas the United States and the European Union have 

called on Bosnia and Herzegovina to implement election 

and targeted constitutional reforms to ensure broad participation in the 2022 general election in Bosnia and 

Herzegovina and to comply with the Sejdic ́-Finci judgments from the ECHR; 

Whereas, on October 20, 2021, the United States and the 

European Union issued a joint statement supporting the 

territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina and calling ‘‘on all parties to respect and protect state institutions, resume constructive dialogue, and take steps to advance progress on the EU integration path—including on 

relevant reforms’’; 

Whereas some politicians in Bosnia and Herzegovina and 

other countries in the region continue to make statements downplaying or denying the 1995 Srebrenica genocide; 


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Whereas Milorad Dodik, a Bosnian Serb member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, has hampered reconciliation efforts through genocide denial, engaged in 

proactive and destabilizing security maneuvers, threatened to withdraw Republika Srpska from state-level institutions, including the judiciary, the security services, the 

Indirect Tax Authority, and the armed forces of Bosnia 

and Herzegovina, and called for the dissolution of the 

OHR; 

Whereas, on December 10, 2021, the parliament of Republika 

Srpska voted in favor of denying the constitutional and 

legitimate authority of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 

areas of taxation, justice, and security and defense; 

Whereas the United States has imposed sanctions on Milorad 

Dodik pursuant to Executive Order 13304 (68 Fed. Reg. 

32313; relating to the Termination of Emergencies With 

Respect to Yugoslavia and Modification of Executive 

Order 13219 of June 26, 2001) and Executive Order 

14033 (86 Fed. Reg. 31079; relating to Blocking Property and Suspending Entry Into the United States of 

Certain Persons Contributing to the Destabilizing Situation in the Western Balkans) for obstructing the Dayton 

Accords and corruption; 

Whereas, on January 9, 2022, Milorad Dodik presided over 

commemorations of an unconstitutional holiday, 

Republika Srpska Day, which coincided with the day 

Bosnian Serbs declared their own state and ignited four 

years of war and bloodshed; 

Whereas international financial institutions such as the International Monetary Foundation have warned that withdrawal from the Indirect Tax Authority would cripple the 

economy of Bosnia and Herzegovina; 


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Whereas, in 2020, the economy of Bosnia and Herzegovina 

contracted by an estimated 4.3 percent, and the youth 

unemployment rate rose to 33.6 percent, disrupting a 

five-year trend of decline in part due to the rampant corruption that remains unaddressed; and 

Whereas at least 400,000 citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina 

have emigrated from Bosnia and Herzegovina over the 

past 8 years: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) congratulates Bosnia and Herzegovina on 

3 the 30th anniversary of its declaration of independ4 ence; 

5 (2) reaffirms strong and longstanding bipar6 tisan support for Bosnia and Herzegovina, and con7 tinues to believe that peace and stability in Bosnia 

8 and Herzegovina is integral to the peace and sta9 bility of Europe as a whole; 

10 (3) calls on all parties to uphold the spirit of 

11 unity enshrined in the Dayton Accords and to redou12 ble their efforts to enact electoral and targeted con13 stitutional reforms prior to the 2022 general election 

14 in Bosnia and Herzegovina; 

15 (4) calls on the members of the Presidency of 

16 Bosnia and Herzegovina to recognize their critical 

17 role in preserving stability and to work together in 

18 the best interests of their constituents as part of a 


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1 sovereign and independent Bosnia and Herzegovina 

2 within its internationally recognized borders; 

3 (5) encourages the Government of Bosnia and 

4 Herzegovina to continue pursuing membership in the 

5 North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the Euro6 pean Union and urges the European Union to in7 crease its efforts, cooperation, and assistance to 

8 swiftly advance the accession process; 

9 (6) calls on the President to prioritize efforts to 

10 combat political corruption, democratic backsliding, 

11 unemployment, and brain drain in Bosnia and 

12 Herzegovina, in particular, by focusing on youth en13 gagement; 

14 (7) commends the continued efforts of the Of15 fice of the High Representative (OHR) to advance 

16 reforms, reaffirms the authority of the OHR as ar17 ticulated in the Dayton Accords, and calls on mem18 bers of the Peace and Implementation Council to 

19 provide their full support to the OHR and advance20 ment of the 5+2 Agenda; 

21 (8) calls on the President to develop an inclu22 sive and comprehensive strategy for Bosnia and 

23 Herzegovina, in coordination with Bosnian and 

24 Herzegovinian civil society and the European Union, 

25 and to increase engagement with minority groups in 


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1 an effort to hear from a diverse cross-section of citi2 zens in Bosnia and Herzegovina, inclusive of all eth3 nic, political, or religious affiliations; 

4 (9) encourages the United Nations and its 

5 member states to continue to support the EUFOR6 Althea stabilization force and to review the current 

7 levels of the force in the face of challenges to the in8 tegrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina; 

9 (10) encourages the United States to consider 

10 additional steps to support security and stabilization 

11 in Bosnia and Herzegovina and to support EUFOR; 

12 (11) condemns individuals who are actively 

13 seeking to undermine the security, stability, and ter14 ritorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina and 

15 urges the President and European allies of the 

16 United States to hold such individuals accountable 

17 for their actions, including through the use of sanc18 tions where appropriate; 

19 (12) condemns the inflammatory rhetoric of 

20 politicians in Bosnia and Herzegovina and others in 

21 the region who deny the severity or perpetration of 

22 war crimes and genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina; 

23 (13) condemns politicians in Bosnian and 

24 Herzegovina and the region who— 


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1 (A) persist in rampant corruption for per2 sonal enrichment at the cost of the prosperity 

3 of the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina; and 

4 (B) prevent Bosnia and Herzegovina from 

5 adopting the reforms necessary to secure mem6 bership in the European Union and the North 

7 Atlantic Treaty Organization; and 

8 (14) emphasizes that the United States Govern9 ment will continue to support the people of Bosnia 

10 and Herzegovina in their quest to build a unified, 

11 pluralistic, prosperous, and peaceful state. 

Æ 


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