International Memberships and Their Contribution to the Development of Additional State Capacities of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Membership in the Council of Europe

Abstract

The membership of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) in the Council of Europe, in a broader theoretical sense, is an example of a somewhat neglected aspect in the relations between states and international organizations — the effect that international memberships, with a company in rights and obligations, have on achieving internal political consensus and building additional state capacities. This is particularly important for small, vulnerable, and highly decentralized states like Bosnia and Herzegovina. Although the concept of membership is neither demanding nor exclusive like that of the European Union, BiH waged a fierce diplomatic and political battle for this membership – by fulfilling pre-accession conditions (adopting the Election Law of BiH) and through intensive diplomatic lobbying, along with the obligation to meet a whole series of post-admission conditions. More than two decades of membership have provided examples of building additional state capacities – the imperative for constitutional changes, the upgrading of judicial and diplomatic-bureaucratic infrastructure through the formation of inter-ministerial groups, innovative institutional solutions, introduction of new functions or institutions; projecting one's political values in the context of current problems and issues that the international organization and its membership address, and opening new opportunities for international careers for officials, diplomats, or citizens of BiH.