Financial assistance of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) of about 600 million BAM will be good for the entities, while the Brcko District is once again neglected by the state. The IMF envisioned this money to help countries fight the COVID-19 pandemic. The money was paid without any conditions, no reforms are required, and it is not a loan. The people from the District are resentful and claim – we have been robbed.
According to the 2016 agreement, the Federation of BiH (FBiH) received about 400 million BAM from the IMF, which is two-thirds of the total aid to the state. Republika Srpska (RS) getsone-third, while the Brcko District will not receive anything.
The Ministry of Finance of BiH notes that there is no District in this distribution since the agreement is based on the participation of capital in the IMF, and this local community has not invested anything.
“It would be normal for this distribution to follow the procedure for the Fiscal Council to organize the session and make a decision on the allocation of revenues to the entities and the Brcko District. This time, it was not done, ” pointed out Mato Lucic, director of the Finance Directorate of the Brcko District.
This is not the first time that the Brcko District has been forgotten by the state and the entities. Based on the number of inhabitants, the District should have received more than 14 million BAM from the IMF. This requires a decision of the Council of Ministers with the consent of the entities and the Fiscal Council of BiH, but the problem is the political crisis at the state level, ie the lack of participation of RS representatives in the work of BiH institutions. Therefore, the District is collateral damage.
“The final arbitration decision has been violated, the District has been disadvantaged and only our citizens will not receive anything from financial assistance to the state. We are, practically, robbed, ” explained indignant Esed Kadric, the mayor of the Brcko District (SDA).
Kadric announced that the District will most likely defend its position at the BiH Constitutional Court, while the president of the Brcko Assembly is optimistic and he thinks that a court case is the last option.
“All other possibilities should be used, including direct talks with representatives of the entities and BiH, so that the Brcko District is included in this type of distribution,” said Sinisa Milic, president of the Brcko District Assembly (SNSD), Federalna writes.
The Office of the High Representative (OHR) was also informed about everything in order to find a solution to this issue and prevent further neglect of a very important part of BiH. Now the real question is who will be the first to react and whether anyone will do something. The Council of Ministers? Fiscal Council? Constitutional Court? High Representative, in whom everyone has trust, or will the cries from the Brcko District be left without an adequate reaction from the authorities from higher levels?
