Joint Programme

Horizontal Facility

Representatives of public institutions, independent regulatory bodies, the media, academia, and civil society reached agreement on key principles for improving the governance of online content in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a particular focus on the Council of Europe Recommendation CM/Rec(2026)4 on online safety and the empowerment of users and content creators.

As a central outcome, participants confirmed the need to establish a multi-stakeholder and co-regulatory model, entailing a clear distribution of competences and responsibilities among institutions, regulators, media, digital platforms, academia, and civil society organisations. It was particularly emphasised that the success of this model depends on continuous and structured cooperation among all actors, including institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, non-governmental organisations, media, the academic community, as well as regulatory and self-regulatory bodies.

Participants underlined that Recommendation CM/Rec(2026)4 provides a clear and applicable framework for developing such an approach, through principles of inclusive governance, transparency, accountability, and the protection of fundamental rights, while ensuring effective mechanisms for cooperation and coordination.

It was also highlighted that next steps should include strengthening institutional coordination and formalising cooperation among stakeholders, in line with the European regulatory framework, including the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA).

As a follow-up, the need was recognised to initiate a structured institutional process that would enable the gradual alignment of Bosnia and Herzegovina with European standards in the field of digital governance and media freedom, with the active participation of all relevant actors and in reliance on the guidance provided by Recommendation CM/Rec(2026)4.

The event was organised as part of the action “Protecting freedom of expression and of the media in Bosnia and Herzegovina (PRO-FREX)”, implemented by the Council of Europe Division for Cooperation on Freedom of Expression under the European Union and Council of Europe’s joint programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye.”