The BiH Council of Ministers, after a nine-month delay caused by political infighting, has approved a justice reform strategy. The move opens the way for new EU funding for war crimes prosecution, which Europe cut several months ago.
The European Commission granted 14.8 million euro in assistance to local courts and prosecutions for 2012 and 2013 to ensure the more efficient prosecution of war crimes. This led to the hiring of 20 prosecutors, seven judges and 115 legal advisors and associates seen as crucial to dealing with a massive case backlog.
But the second tranche of funds depended on the Bosnian authorities adopting the reform strategy, which they failed to do.
The reason for the delay was a dispute between politicians over establishing a state-level appeals court – a reflection of wider differences within the country about state-level jurisdiction.
