UK announces sanctions against Bosnian-Serb politicians for ‘undermining peace’ - expert comment from Dr Andi Hoxhaj.
Dr Andi HoxhajLink opens in a new window of Warwick Law, a specialist in anti-corruption law and policy, civil society, European integration, Western Balkans and regulatory law and policy, comments on the news that the UK has announced sanctionsLink opens in a new window on Milorad Dodik, Bosnian-Serb member of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s state-level Presidency, and Zeljka Cvijanovic, President of the entity of Republika Srpska, "for their destabilising activity in Bosnia and Herzegovina."
Dr Hoxhaj comments:
"The UK sanctions towards Milorad Dodik and Zeljka Cvijanovic are appropriate and the right decision to join the U.S., which has also issued sanctions against Bosnian-Serb politicians Link opens in a new windowfor undermining peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well engaging in alleged corruption.
"The Western Balkans are at a fragile state at the moment and there have been many attempts to destabilize the peace in these regions, in particular Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo, partly to the lack of a clear EU integration perspective and the vacuum that it has created, which has allowed for states such as Russia, China to champion illiberal democracy in the Western Balkans and use leaders like Dodik for advancing their geopolitical goals.
"However, with the ongoing war in Ukraine, there is a policy shift to sanction individuals that undermine peace and democracy in fragile states and this attempt is to address that."
- In 2019 Dr Hoxhaj authored The UK's Policy on the Western BalkansLink opens in a new window, a set of policy recommendations rooted in his research on anti-corruption policy and the rule of law in the Western Balkans, the UK and the EU policy, which included a call for the UK to introduce a sanction regime for the Western Balkans. He was invited to the FCO to present his conclusions. Read more hereLink opens in a new window.
11 April 2022