Enisa Alibalić, Ermina Salihović, and Ajla Ćehajić have been selected as the 2025 recipients of the Journalists’ Awards for the best journalistic story reporting on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s EU accession process. The ceremony was organised by the Directorate for European Integration, in cooperation with UNFPA and the Association of Journalists of BiH, to mark Europe Day.

Enisa Alibalić was awarded for her television report "From Next Year, the EU Introduces a Carbon Tax", broadcast on BHT1. Ermina Salihović and Ajla Ćehajić were honoured for their article "Right to Maternity Leave: 'I Thought That My Employer, as a Woman, Would Show Understanding'", published on the Tuzlanski.ba portal.

The awards were presented to the winners by Elvira Habota, Director of the Directorate for European Integration, and Justine Coulson, UNFPA Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Plaques were handed over by Luigi Soreca, Head of the EU Delegation to BiH, and Amarildo Gutić, President of the Association of Journalists of BiH.

“I consider it important that we journalists, through concrete examples and in a simple and understandable way, bring the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina closer to concepts such as energy efficiency, green transition, environmental and health protection, and explain why these issues matter to us,” said Enisa Alibalić, author of the award-winning piece, at the ceremony “I am always glad to highlight positive practices. I would like to thank the Directorate for European Integration, the Association of Journalists of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and UNFPA, who recognised in this story the effort to take one more step closer to the European Union and our membership. This is a story about the carbon tax and the exporters to the European Union who understand the importance of these processes and are rapidly adapting their businesses to European legislation, or have already done so.”

“The fact that BiH society is facing numerous challenges is evident from the large number of areas that must be aligned with EU standards on the country’s path to membership,” said Ermina Salihović, co-author of the second award-winning piece. “Thanks to the Directorate for European Integration, these issues gain more visibility through journalistic storytelling. By addressing such topics, we help drive societal change and raise public awareness. The aim of the article my colleague and I submitted was to encourage greater understanding from employers towards pregnant women, and to highlight the problems that persist in the business sector every day. Receiving such an important award is a powerful source of motivation, especially for young journalists at the beginning of their careers, and a strong encouragement to continue tackling topics that may one day lead to meaningful change.”

“With this story, my colleague and I had a clear intention: encourage the public to reflect on the situation of pregnant women and obstetricians in our society,” said Ajla Ćehajić, co-author of the second prize-winning piece. “We believe this is an issue that concerns us all, as the way we treat women during the most vulnerable period of their lives speaks volumes about our maturity and readiness for genuine progress—particularly in the context of our European path. This award is

not only a recognition of our work, but also a testament to the fact that knowledge, commitment, and teamwork can drive real change. I am proud of our story, of my colleague with whom I crafted it from the first question to the final full stop, and of the entire team who supported and believed in us. It is an incentive to be even braver, more vocal, and more determined in advocating for a society where every story is given space and meaning.”

This marks the sixth consecutive year the award has been presented, with the aim of highlighting the vital role of the media in the European integration process and encouraging journalists to explore how EU accession impacts the everyday lives of citizens in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Previous recipients of the award include Dženana Karup-Druško and Maja Nikolić (2024), Arnes Grbešić and Selma Melez (2023), Melisa Teletović and Denis Leko (2022), Anel Nurković and Svjetlana Šurlan (2021) and Tamara Ćuruvija and Marko Mlikota (2020).