France and Bosnia-Herzegovina

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Political relations

The Dayton Peace Agreement, signed in Paris on 14 December 1995, entrusted the Peace Implementation Council Steering Board (PIC SB) with responsibility for ensuring the effective implementation of the civilian aspects of the peace settlement. France is a member of the PIC SB, which convenes every six months in Bosnia and Herzegovina and is chaired by the High Representative. France also supports Bosnia and Herzegovina’s candidature for EU accession.

  • French Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina: François Delmas (since August 2023)
  • Twitter account: @FranceenBiH
  • French Embassy website: https://ba.ambafrance.org/
  • French Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina: Bojana Kondić Panić (since 2022)

French presence

Consulate: Sarajevo
French community: just over 400
Bosnian and Herzegovinian community in France: 10,000 (approximately 30,000 including dual nationals)

Visits

  • 24–25 July 2025: Visit to Paris by Denis Bećirović, Bosniak member of the tripartite Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, on the occasion of the inauguration of a monument honouring the victims of the Srebrenica genocide at Père Lachaise cemetery
  • 11 July 2025: Visit to Srebrenica by Benjamin Haddad, Minister Delegate for Europe, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the genocide
  • 4–5 April 2025: Visit to Sarajevo by Benjamin Haddad, Minister Delegate for Europe
  • 10–11 March 2025: Visit to Paris by Elvira Habota, Head of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Directorate for European Integration
  • 28 October 2024: Meeting between Benjamin Haddad, Minister Delegate for Europe, and Josip Brkić, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, on the sidelines of the Regional Forum of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM)
  • 18 July 2024: Meeting between the President of the French Republic and Denis Bećirović, Chairperson of the tripartite Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, on the sidelines of the European Political Community Summit at Blenheim Palace
  • 9 November 2023: Meeting between the President of the French Republic and the tripartite Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Željko Komšić, Denis Bećirović and Željka Cvijanović) on the sidelines of the Paris Peace Forum
  • 29 August 2023: Meeting between Laurence Boone, Minister of State for Europe, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina on the sidelines of the Bled Strategic Forum
  • 6–7 March 2023: Visit to Sarajevo by Laurence Boone, Minister of State for Europe
  • 18 February 2023: Meeting between Catherine Colonna, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, and Elmedin Konaković, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference
  • 11 November 2022: Visit to Paris by Bisera Turković, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina; meeting with Catherine Colonna, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, and participation at the Paris Peace Forum
  • 11 November 2021: Participation by Željko Komšić, Chairperson of the tripartite Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, at the Paris Peace Forum
  • 3 May 2021: Phone call between Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, and Bisera Turković, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • 31 January 2020: Participation by Bisera Turković, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in a ministerial meeting in Berlin on the Franco-German Initiative on the Fight against Firearms Trafficking in the Western Balkans
  • 11 November 2019: Participation by Željko Komšić, Chairperson of the tripartite Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, at the Paris Peace Forum
  • 11 December 2018: Participation of Igor Crnadak, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Dragan Mektić, Minister of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina in a ministerial meeting in Paris on the fight against firearms trafficking in the Western Balkans
  • 11–13 November 2018: Visit to France by Bakir Izetbegović, Chairperson of the tripartite Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, for the 11 November commemorations and for the Paris Peace Forum
  • 19 May 2018: Visit to France by Marina Pendeš, Minister of Defence of Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • 4 July 2016: Visit to France Igor Crnadak, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, on the occasion of the Western Balkans Summit in Paris
  • 16–19 November 2016: Visit to France by Dragan Mektić, Minister of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • July 2015: Visit to Srebrenica by Jean-Marc Todeschini, Minister of State for Remembrance and Veterans, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the genocide
  • 28 June 2014: Visit to Sarajevo by Harlem Désir, Minister of State for European Affairs, for the commemoration of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand on 28 June 1914
  • 28 May 2013: Reception by President Hollande of the tripartite Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Economic relations

Following an increase of 32.1% in 2022, trade flows between France and Bosnia and Herzegovina fell by 2.1% year-on-year in 2023 due to a decline in French imports. France was thus Bosnia and Herzegovina’s 13th largest supplier (accounting for 1.8% of all imports into Bosnia and Herzegovina) and its 9th largest customer (buying 2.0% of all exports). Nevertheless, trade flows between France and Bosnia and Herzegovina have quadrupled since 2008, when the trade chapter of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (ASA) entered into force via an interim agreement.

While France has traditionally had a trade deficit with Bosnia and Herzegovina, French exports have grown steadily in recent years and that deficit has halved since 2022. At the same time, French foreign direct investments (FDI) in Bosnia and Herzegovina have increased by 20.4% year-on-year, but remained low at €14 million. Nonetheless, there are a number of projects of interest for French companies in the transport infrastructure sector (road and rail), in the renewable energy sector (geothermal, photovoltaic and small hydro plants), and potentially also in decontamination activities on industrial sites.

According to the Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina, total foreign investment in the country in 2022 amounted to €8.9 billion. France ranks 27th (down two places compared to 2021) with an FDI of €14 million, representing an increase of 20.4% year-on-year.

Cultural, scientific and technical cooperation

Our cooperation efforts are centred around the Institut Français in Bosnia and Herzegovina (IFBH) located in Sarajevo and its branches in Mostar and Banja Luka. The Centre André Malraux, founded in Sarajevo during the conflict of the first half of the 1990s, merged with the Institut Français in 2014.

Website of the Institut Français (not available in English): http://institutfrancais.ba/

Other cooperation

An Internal Security Attaché (ASI) based in Sarajevo coordinates police cooperation initiatives aimed at combating organized crime, terrorism and illegal immigration.

Updated: 25 August 2025

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