Bosnia-Herzegovina

The country is still affected by the war of the 1990s. The three ethnic groups, Bosniaks, Bosnian Serbs, and Bosnian Croats appear to have a fundamentally different view of what kind of a state they want. Furthermore, the ethnic divisions have become sharper during the past few years.

The financial situation is difficult, with slow economic growth, a trade balance deficit and high unemployment. The economic growth has also been hampered by corruption, an extensive unofficial economy, politicising of the privatization process, an industrial structure based on outdated heavy industry, an oversized bureaucracy and lack of political will to implement reforms.

Norway has granted more than three billion Norwegian kroner to Bosnia and Herzegovina over the past 18 years. The extensive Norwegian efforts were reviewed in 2010. The conclusions were that:

• Norwegian support has been rooted in long-term processes, and positive results have been achieved, even with limited resources.
• Bilateral projects have not achieved the desired results. This applies to private sector, public administration and democracy building projects.

Vulnerable states in the Balkans are seen as a threat to a united, stable and democratic Europe. Norwegian efforts will therefore continue with the following focus:

• Good governance and institutional development
• Peace and reconciliation between the countries in the region
• The rights of minority groups
• Development of a sustainable energy sector

Reconciliation

In Bosnia and Herzegovina almost NOK 20 million has already been spent on concrete reconciliation projects, for instance, on efforts to document war crimes. Similar documentation work also receives regional support.

Since 1995, Nansen Dialogue Network (NDN) has worked to improve the dialogue in ethnically divided societies. In Macedonia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, NDN has worked to introduce integrated education models in multi-ethnic and multilingual communities. The model has worked well so far, and will be applied in more municipalities with considerable support from the authorities in the future.

Open Fun Football Schools, organized by The Football Association of Norway, is a reconciliation project particularly aimed at children and young people in Serbia, Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. This project involves thousands of children, young people, parents and adult instructors of both sexes from different ethnical groups. Tournaments focusing on fun and enjoyment constitute an important part of the project. These events create multi-ethnical meeting places and opportunities providing positive common experiences for children and young people from different backgrounds.

Good governance

Good governance has been a priority area for Norwegian support. Focus has particularly been on the judicial institutions at state level, where support to the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council (HJPC) and the State Court has trickled down the entire judicial chain.