The chairwoman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Borjana Krišto, stated today, after the regular session of the Council of Ministers of BiH, that the consequences of the delay in adopting the budget of the institutions of BiH and the international obligations of BiH for 2026 are enormous for the functioning of institutions, the implementation of projects and the rights of employees.
Krišto said that today the Council of Ministers of BiH once again reminded the Presidency of BiH, as the authorized proposer, to send the Bill on the Budget of BiH Institutions and International Obligations of BiH for 2026 to the parliamentary procedure without delay.
She reminded that the BiH Council of Ministers adopted the budget proposal on May 21 and sent it to the Presidency of BiH, but that this document has not been forwarded to the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH to date.
“Today we again reminded the institution of the Presidency that they are the authorized proposer and that, due to the functioning of the institutions, the implementation of reforms, but also the protection of the rights of employees based on the adoption of the budget, it is necessary to send the budget proposal for 2026 to the parliamentary procedure as soon as possible, without delay,” said Krišto.
She added that the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as she stated, did not inform the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina about possible corrections to the budget proposal by any act or conclusion.
Speaking about the consequences of the delay in the adoption of the budget, Krišto reminded that in previous years there were problems due to waiting for the budget, which was also reflected in the implementation of projects.
“We are aware that last year we had a lot of unspent funds, and the projects are standing. I think it is very difficult to talk about the consequences. The consequences are huge both for the functioning of the institutions and for the rights that employees have,” said Krišto.
In particular, she pointed to the changes in the law on wages and benefits, by which certain employees and civil servants have the right to a salary increase, but that, without an adopted budget, these rights cannot be regularly realized.
“There is nothing left for us but to remind them and for everyone to take responsibility within the framework of their competences and powers. In this case, until the budget is adopted by the BiH Parliamentary Assembly, it is the responsibility of the Presidency of BiH as the authorized proposer to send it,” said Krišto.
She expressed the expectation that, after the budget proposal is submitted to the parliamentary procedure, there will be understanding in the BiH Parliamentary Assembly, and the possibility of holding emergency sessions so that the budget can be adopted as soon as possible.
When asked about cultural institutions of importance for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Krišto said that solutions for their status and financing are still being sought, but that the problem is that no law has been adopted to regulate this issue.
“I am sorry that we have reached a situation where, when it comes to institutions of importance for Bosnia and Herzegovina, cultural institutions, a law could not be passed until today. If it were regulated in the right and fair way and if it had a legal foundation, we would not be talking about this in this way,” said Kristo.
She added that temporary solutions can only be sought if there is a consensus on how to secure funds, but that a permanent solution requires a constitutional and legal basis.
At today’s session, the BiH Council of Ministers made several other decisions, among which was the decision to approve 500,000 KM from the current budget reserve to the City of Mostar for remediation of the consequences of the fire at the Borak landfill.
The Council of Ministers of BiH also made a decision, on the proposal of the Ministry of Communications and Transport of BiH, on the redistribution of funds that were previously allocated for the rehabilitation, that is, the construction of the bridge on Svilaj. Kristo clarified that about 2.5 million KM remained unspent, and that these funds were diverted for the project of building a bridge on the Tara River towards Montenegro.
She emphasized that the project is of particular importance for the transport infrastructure of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the connection with Montenegro, and that she expects that the competent minister will soon be able to sign the agreement.
When asked about the southern gas interconnection project and the reasons why the agreement with the American company has not yet been signed, Krišto said that the BiH Council of Ministers completed its part of the work by signing the agreement with the Republic of Croatia.
“We have signed the agreement with the Republic of Croatia, the Council of Ministers has completed its work. Other agreements with contractors follow, and that is the authority and competence of the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, that is, the line ministry,” said Krišto.
At the session, a decision was made to repeat the tariff quotas for the import of raw sugar, which established a quota of 500,000 tons.
Kristo said that under this tariff label, producers will be able to import raw sugar at a duty rate of zero percent, while for the remaining part of the import, duties will be paid at regular rates.
Today, the BiH Council of Ministers also adopted changes to the decision on the method of passing professional and public exams, at the proposal of the BiH Civil Service Agency.
Kristo announced that the next session of the BiH Council of Ministers will be held on July 15.
