A ceremony on the occasion of the 19th anniversary of the establishment of the Brcko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina was held on Friday in Brcko’s Cultural Center in the presence of international officials, guests from entity and state institutions, representatives of executive, legislative and judicial authorities, and economic and cultural life of the District.
Mayor of Brcko District Sinisa Milic said on this occasion that courage and determination is needed to build the trust of citizens and institutions of the District through the adoption of laws that will be of general interest.
“I hope that in the time ahead we will show the political maturity that is expected of us. It primarily means readiness but also the art of making decisions that are essentially and substantively in the function of realizing general interests,” Milinic said.
“The common message I heard in my meetings was that Brcko has all the ingredients to be a long-term success story, but they also underscored that there is still much work to be done by the authorities in Brcko. My expectations, therefore, of the District’s leadership is very much informed by this,” Brcko Supervisor Michael Scalan said.
He added that he had a chance in Washington to meet with the Brcko Presiding Arbiter, Ambassador Clint Williamson, who will visit Brcko later this year, and who asked jim to pass on his congratulations to all of you on this special Brcko day. But today of course is also International Women’s Day, and thus I congratulate the women of Brcko and wish them all the best.
“This anniversary is also a chance to reaffirm our commitment to build a better future for Brcko, one which provides for a supportive environment to bring up a family, to earn a decent wage, and to live in dignity and security, something that women have always been in the forefront of advocating for in our societies.”
The key to achieving this is perfecting the financial stability, efficiency and accountability of Brcko’s governing institutions as this will ensure reliable public services and a predictable business environment. Businesses, local or foreign, have a choice on where they locate themselves and thus which communities will benefit from the jobs they create or the taxes they pay. Therefore, the adoption of the 2019 budget this month is a must if public services are to be provided in the District and more businesses are to open or expand in Brcko. Hereto, the introduction of fiscal cash registers by the end of June will reinforce the fight against the grey economy, strengthen the rule of law, and generate more revenues for public services and minimize the arguments of those who would challenge Brcko’s indirect tax revenue coefficient. Finally, the adoption this fall of an improved law on the budget will promote greater fiscal discipline, transparency and responsibility in spending.
Infrastructure development, be it to provide better public services or new economic opportunities, is also central to promoting economic gains that go beyond the construction work itself. All together, these projects are critical to the economic development of Brcko and as such are a catalyst for the prosperity of its citizens.
