A group of 28 European Parliament members has called on EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas to impose sanctions on Milorad Dodik, the president of Republika Srpska, over his recent secessionist actions in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“Dodik poses a serious threat to Bosnia’s sovereignty and EU security due to his growing separatist agenda and close ties to the Kremlin,” the letter states.
MEPs argue diplomatic efforts have failed and sanctions are necessary to prevent further escalation. The initiative, led by Tineke Strik, Thijs Reuten, and Irena Joveva, has backing from MEPs across ten EU member states and five political groups.
Dodik has pushed for the illegal secession of Republika Srpska in recent weeks. On February 26, he was sentenced to a year in prison by a Bosnian court and barred from holding office for six years.
Republika Srpska’s assembly recently passed laws rejecting the authority of Bosnia’s judiciary and law enforcement, which Dodik ratified on March 5. The Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina suspended the laws, calling them unconstitutional.
US Secretary of State Rubio warned on March 8 that Dodik’s actions threaten Bosnia’s stability and state institutions.
On March 13, Republika Srpska’s assembly approved a draft constitution that declares the entity a sovereign state, violating Bosnia’s constitution and the Dayton Agreement, which has governed the country since 1995.
