Accession of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the EU Justice Programme 2021-2027



We invite legal experts in the area of the rule of law, policy makers and implementers, academic community and civil society organisations to contribute to the alignment of legal systems in Bosnia and Herzegovina with the EU, enhancement of judicial independence and promotion of fundamental rights by applying to the EU Justice Programme projects.   

With the entry into force of the Framework Agreement on the General Principles of Bosnia and Herzegovina's Participation in Community Programmes in January 2007, Bosnia and Herzegovina was given the opportunity to join individual programmes of the Union. Therefore, the procedure of accession and conclusion of the Agreement between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the European Union on the participation of BiH in the Justice Programme 2021-2027 was initiated in 2021 and launched in 2023 by the Ministry of Justice of Bosnia and Herzegovina, following a wide consultation process with the relevant institutions.

It is expected that the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina will complete the procedure of signing and ratifying the Accession Agreement by April 2024, followed by the payment of Bosnia and Herzegovina's financial contribution and the full participation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Justice Programme.

Applicants from Bosnia and Herzegovina can start applying to the calls published in December 2023, as well as to the calls that will be published in 2024. Financial support will be awarded to the applicants from Bosnia and Herzegovina selected within the call for 2023, under the condition that the grant agreement is signed after the beginning of the application of the Association Agreement. If the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina fail to sign the Agreement on the participation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Justice Programme 2021-2027 until signing the grant agreement for specific projects (which is expected in the period August-December 2024 for the calls published in December 2023), the grant will not be awarded to the applicants from Bosnia and Herzegovina selected for the grant award and signing of the grant agreement, but they will be able to continue participating in the project without financial support with other partner organisations to which the project was approved.

Below is brief information on the programme itself and the possibilities it offers to legal and natural persons:

The Justice Programme is one of the two programmes within the new Justice, Rights and Values Fund. It was established by Regulation (EU) 2021/693 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 April 2021 for the duration of the multiannual financial framework 2021-2027. It determines the objectives of the Programme, the budget for the period 2021-2027, forms of financing by the Union and rules for providing such financing.

The general objective of the Justice Programme is contributing to the further development of the European area of justice based on the rule of law, including the independence and impartiality of the judiciary, on mutual recognition and mutual trust, and on judicial cooperation thereby also strengthening democracy, the rule of law and the protection of fundamental rights.

Within this general objectives, the activities of the Justice Programme are directed in the following three directions:

• Strengthening the rule of law and the independence and impartiality of the judiciary by supporting judicial cooperation in civil and criminal matters, as well as by supporting efforts to improve the effectiveness of national justice systems and the effective enforcement of decisions;
• Promotion of judicial training with a view to fostering a common legal and judicial culture as well as a culture based on the rule of law, and to support and promote the consistent and effective implementation of the EU legal instruments;
• Effective and non-discriminatory access to justice for all, including by electronic means (e-justice), by promoting efficient civil and criminal procedures and by promoting and supporting the rights of all victims of crime as well as the procedural rights of suspects and accused persons in criminal proceedings.

The financial envelope for the implementation of the Justice Programme for the period from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2027 is EUR 305 000 000.

The Justice Programme is under the competence of the Directorate General for Justice and Consumers of the European Commission, and participation in the Programme is achieved by publishing a call for submission of project proposals and awarding financial support to the selected projects.

Indicative timetable of the publication of calls for the Justice Programme 2023-2024 is available at the link: https://commission.europa.eu/system/files/2022-12/indicativeplanningjust2023-24calls.pdf

More detailed information on the Justice Programme, as well as the procedures and process of publication of calls for submission of applications, and the manner of application, are available at the following link:
https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/find-funding/eu-funding-programmes/justice-programme_en

The conditions for applying are thoroughly explained in each call, but potential applicants also have the so-called Functional Mailbox within each published call.

As the institution responsible for leading the accession process, the Ministry of Justice of Bosnia and Herzegovina will periodically update information on the status of Bosnia and Herzegovina's accession to the Justice Programme 2021- 2027 on its website. The Ministry of Justice of Bosnia and Herzegovina plans to organise Info Days as a part of the promotional activities, with the aim of better informing potential beneficiaries and the general public on the Justice Programme in general and on the possibilities of obtaining financial support from the Programme. It is also planned to establish a network of contacts at the level of Entities and the Brčko District of BiH to support potential beneficiaries.