After the meeting with Matthew Palmer, the Special Representative of the United States of America for the Western Balkans, the Prime Minister of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Fadil Novalic, stated that during his visit, Mr. Palmer focused on returning to economic reforms.
“We are all witnessing that economic reforms have receded, somewhat before the coronavirus, somewhat before the local elections, but the only thing society can count on as a safe base for its progress is the economy,” he said, Klix.ba news portal reports.
Novalic added that the meeting focused on stronger public investments – supported by the international community, less workload, reforms of public companies, which are a significant part of the inefficiency of this society and health care reforms.
“When asked what we want the United States to help us with, we said that it was Euro-Atlantic integration abroad and the fight against domestic corruption, the justice system and the public sector,” he said.
Novalić said that such meetings serve to format the international community’s view of BiH, and that demands in BiH are medium-term and long-term budget support, as Belarus received from the EU with a grace period of 15 years, with interest rates close to zero.
“In this way, we would guarantee social peace for a period of six to seven years,” Novalić said.
Novalic met with the US official at a meeting attended by Council of Ministers Chairman Zoran Tegeltija and another entity’s Prime Minister Radovan Viskovic.