Constitutional commission backs amendment on BiH’s Brcko District

SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) – The parliament’s constitutional commission approved the draft amendment regarding the status of the Brcko District on Monday (March 23rd).

According to the bill, the district’s legal status, as defined by a binding arbitration process that took place from 1996 to 1999, will be protected by the BiH constitution, giving the district access to the constitutional court. 

The house of representatives is expected to vote on the amendment at a second reading Wednesday. On Friday, the ambassadors of the steering board of the Peace Implementation Council (PIC) also supported the constitutional amendment on Brcko.

The BiH constitutional court would settle any disputes between the country’s entities concerning Brcko’s final status and arrangement. Resolving this issue is a prerequisite for transforming the Office of the High Representative into the Office of the EU Special Representative.