Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik stated that “the European Union never gives funds for nothing in return,” stating that “a new practice is being introduced to block funds that were previously approved and earned.”
“Regarding funds from the EU, when they approve something, you didn’t get anything for nothing. These are funds that were agreed upon for earlier projects, which were implemented. A new practice is being introduced in which they block something for the previous, because of something in the future,” said Dodik at a press conference in Mostar, answering questions about whether funds from the European Union will be unblocked.
Dodik reminded that the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Council of Ministers, Elmedin Konaković, spoke publicly about this.
The President of the Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dragan Čović, said that no project from Bosnia and Herzegovina can be blocked because someone evaluated it from the outside, because that blocks the entire process.
Čović said that the key issue is to unblock EU funds.
He stated that the subject was recently discussed with the European Commissioner for EU Enlargement, Oliver Varhelyi.
“It seems to me that we are slowly coming to an understanding in that part and that if we send such messages from Bosnia and Herzegovina, that process will also open up. The messages that have been coming to us from the EU these days are a completely new dynamic, but we we need to determine the people who will coordinate towards the EU, as well as the topics,” Čović emphasized after the meeting of SNSD leader Milorad Dodik, HDZ Dragan Čović, SDP Nermin Nikšić, as well as party delegations.
