The EU criticizes the Bosnian Serb authorities' decision to hold a referendum on court decisions.

The European Union (EU) delegation in Bosnia and Herzegovina has criticized the decision by the authorities of the Republika Srpska—one of the two semi-autonomous administrative entities into which the country is divided—to hold a vote on the court rulings that led to the dismissal of the region's president, Milorad Dodik.

"The verdict issued by the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the case of Milorad Dodik is final and binding, and must be respected. Submitting a court decision to a public vote is contrary to the rule of law and the independence of the judicial authorities," they said in a message posted on the social network X.

The Republika Srpska National Assembly approved this Friday a referendum—scheduled for October 25—on the acceptance of the decisions taken against Dodik by institutions such as the Bosnian Constitutional Court and the Central Election Commission , which have resulted in his dismissal and six-month ban.

This is a response to the Bosnian Serb leader's indiscipline in failing to comply with the orders issued by Christian Schmidt, the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina and supervisor of the peace agreements .

"We hope that the Republika Srpska authorities will work to de-escalate the situation and respect the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and constitutional and legal order of Bosnia and Herzegovina," the EU delegation to the country said.

For his part, Milorad Dodik maintained that "it is becoming increasingly difficult to understand the positions" of the EU, accusing the European body of not respecting the constitution or the sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Bosnian court on Monday upheld the dismissal of the Bosnian Serb leader, who ended his three-year term in office. He asserted that this decision had destroyed "an important part" of the Republika Srpska and accused the Bosnian side of being behind it with its "abuse of the unconstitutional court of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Prosecutor's Office."