Momentum for EU accession is building, marked by Bosnia and Herzegovina’s adoption of the Reform Agenda and the upcoming Western Balkans summit hosted by the UK in London on 22 October 2025. Yet, meaningful progress demands confronting entrenched state capture and restoring public trust in institutions through collective action that unites civil society, policymakers, businesses, and media across borders.
Daniela Mineva, Senior Analyst at the Center for the Study of Democracy, presented key recommendations and good practices from CSD and SELDI during a high-level multistakeholder side-event to the Berlin Process, held on 6 October 2025 in Sarajevo. The event was organized by the UK Government, the Regional Anti-Corruption Initiative, the Ministry of Justice of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Helvetas. She showcased how evidence-based tools such as the Corruption Monitoring System (CMS), Monitoring Anti-Corruption Policy Implementation (MACPI), and State Capture Assessment Diagnostics (SCAD) are used to detect corruption risks, evaluate institutional safeguards, and monitor monopolistic practices and foreign influence. She also emphasized that while publishing procurement and asset declaration data online is a positive step, it is not sufficient. Advanced techniques like algorithmic and network analysis are essential to uncover patterns such as repeated tender wins by a small group of companies engaged in informal collusion, or inconsistencies pointing to undeclared or illicit wealth. Furthermore, the use of AI systems for corruption risk analysis must be both transparent and free from bias.
High-level speakers, including international partners, ambassadors, representatives of ministries of justice, and prosecutors, noted that criminals do not respect borders. They identified corruption as a major factor driving youth emigration and urged governments to close loopholes in international agreements, particularly those related to large infrastructure projects and contracts. The panellists also underscored the critical importance of strengthening the capacities of prosecutors and law enforcement through the use of permanent confiscation mechanisms, advanced evidence-gathering techniques, financial forensic expertise, and cross-border tracing of criminal proceeds.
