Existence of national strategy

The last comprehensive policy adopted by the BiH Council of Ministers in the field of culture is the BiH Cultural Policy Strategy 2008.

The Action Plan for the implementation of the Cultural Policy Strategy in BiH (not available online) was adopted in 2011 and valid for the period 2011–2014. Its deadline was then extended due to the practice of not adopting strategies at the level of BiH, which created the preconditions to adopt the Action Plan for implementing the BiH Cultural Policy Strategy with an extended deadline for the period 2017–2018. In the relevant action plans, the goals, activities and measures for the implementation of the BiH Cultural Policy Strategy are indicated at the level of cities. The Strategic Framework for BiH was adopted in August 2015. It takes into account valid policies adopted by the BiH Council of Ministers and obligations based on the Agreement on Stabilization and Association of BiH and the European Union (EU). The Strategic Framework for BiH serves as a framework for medium-term and annual plans of the BiH Council of Ministers. It lists 14 strategic goals, including strategic goal No. 5: Improve culture and the creative sector.

None of the mentioned documents clearly emphasizes or highlights the social category of youth.

At the state level of BiH, three laws covering the field of culture were passed. A certain number of laws were passed by RS, FBiH and cantons. However, none of those laws are focused directly on young people and the promotion of creativity and culture among young people.

Scope and contents

The objectives of the BiH Strategy of Cultural Policy, according to the methodology of (structural) cultural analysis, are focused, foremost, on the following topics: history, the concept and definition of culture, cultural legislation, cultural policy instruments, cultural animation and cultural policy, cultural pluralism and between international cultural cooperation, cultural policy, European integration and European cultural identity, cultural policy in multicultural societies, cultural policy and the economy of culture, cultural policy and sponsoring culture, cultural policy and marketing in culture, cultural policy and cultural development.

The primary (framework) objectives of the Strategy are contained in the introduction of a cultural model (cultural policy) which:

• Encourages the growth of the general level of civic self-responsibility for the state and events in society;

• Increases resource status, strengthens business competitiveness and rich general image of BiH and all its social and economic aggregates;

• Increases the general human capacity of the community (social innovation) and strengthens its ability to constantly set new goals, to successfully realize them and to continuously, openly and critically shape itself in the domain of highly positioned (cultural and other) goals/challenges;

• Raises the general level of cultural creativity (intelligibility) in the community;

• Ensures compliance with the principles of the European Cultural Convention (and other documents that define Europe as a cultural entity), introducing an adequate level of functional conformity (compatibility) with the cultural models that dominate in other European countries; raises the general level of culture of living.

The following are the primary (special) objectives of the strategy:

• Special (strategic) incentive for protection, reconstruction, restoration and multi-sectoral promotion of natural, monumental and architectural heritage in BiH;

• Special (strategic) incentive for education (as a response to the challenges of post-industrial society);

• Special (strategic) stimulus to science as a response also to the challenges of post-industrial society;

• Special (strategic) incentive for regional cooperation in culture as a fundamental principle of existence and creative vitality of BiH culture.

Responsible authority for the implementation of the strategy

The 2011 Strategy does not clearly provide competences of the institutions for its implementation. Competences for this area are distributed among the entities and BD BiH, and all laws and policies adopted at lower tiers of government should be harmonized with those adopted at the state level.

Revisions/updates

At the initiative of the BiH Cultural Strategy Commission, which was established by the BiH Council of Ministers, the development of culture was for the first time included in the revised BiH Midterm Development Strategy 2004-2007 - a development strategy of the country. However, even then, culture was not among the main goals and priorities. Since the adoption of the Strategy in 2011, which has not been implemented, there is no other national strategy or its amended version specifically dealing with the areas of culture and creativity. Also, the Action Plan for its implementation is not available.