The Current Status of the 3Rs Principles in Animal Use in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Overview and Future Perspectives

This paper presents a review of the legal and policy framework governing the use of animals in scientific procedures in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a focus on the 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction, Refinement). National laws, subordinate regulations, official gazettes, and relevant policy documents were analysed alongside the selected scientific literature. The review describes the content of the legal framework, its points of convergence and divergence with Directive 2010/63/EU, and the institutional bodies that are legally foreseen but not yet fully operational. Implementation gaps identified in the documents are presented as priorities for future empirical work. The analysis highlights the need for stronger coordination, clearer operational guidance, and sustained investment in training and infrastructure to support the 3Rs. Based on these evidence gaps, the paper outlines an alignment pathway toward EU standards, including operational national 3Rs guidelines, a Joint 3Rs Centre, FELASA-aligned training, improved data transparency, and targeted funding. The COST Action IMPROVE (CA21139; “3Rs concepts to improve the quality of biomedical science”) is presented as an important foundation for regional cooperation and capacity building.