Relationship dossier
Germany
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Relationship assessment
Development, European integration and migration cooperation, alongside German concern over separatist politics
Germany toward Bosnia and Herzegovina
+35Germany provides development cooperation, supports Bosnia and Herzegovina's European integration, and contributes to EUFOR Althea. In 2022, Germany imposed sanctions on Republika Srpska leaders Milorad Dodik and Željka Cvijanović over separatist actions.
Bosnia and Herzegovina toward Germany
+25Bosnia and Herzegovina has engaged Germany in bilateral migration cooperation, including a migration partnership, and cooperates with Germany on development and European integration.
Overall relationship
+30The relationship combines sustained German support for Bosnia and Herzegovina's development, European integration and security with cooperation on migration. German sanctions against Republika Srpska leaders over separatist actions show that political tensions coexist with these cooperative ties.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Germany has supported Bosnia and Herzegovina through development cooperation, backing for its European integration, and participation in EUFOR Althea. The governments also cooperate on migration. Relations are tempered by German opposition to separatist actions by Republika Srpska leaders, including German sanctions against Milorad Dodik and Željka Cvijanović in 2022.
Areas of tension
- German opposition to separatist actions by Republika Srpska leaders, including sanctions against Milorad Dodik and Željka Cvijanović in 2022.
Key developments
Germany imposed sanctions on Republika Srpska leaders Milorad Dodik and Željka Cvijanović over separatist actions.
Germany and Bosnia and Herzegovina established a bilateral migration partnership.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of bilateral development and migration cooperation are unclear.
- The extent to which Bosnia and Herzegovina's domestic political divisions affect bilateral cooperation is uncertain.