The Minister of Trade, Tourism and Environmental Protection of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton, Emil Balavac, reacted to the media captions and reminded that the provisions of the FBiH Law on Internal Trade, which regulate work on Sundays and holidays, are still in force.
As long as the legal provisions on non-working Sundays and national holidays are in force, the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Environmental Protection of HNK will continue to resolutely and without exception punish any violation of regulations, according to the press release.
“The goal of inspections has never been and will never be only the imposition of fine, the goal is to ensure that the law is respected, that workers exercise their rights and that merchants who operate legally are not at a disadvantage,” said Minister Balavac.
He emphasized that the introduction of the non-working Sunday is an important move for store employees and that it should be preserved.
Immediately after the entry into force of the FBiH Law on Internal Trade in November 2024, the Ministry confirmed its complete commitment to the consistent application of legal regulations, the protection of workers’ rights and the establishment of equal conditions for all economic entities.
“At times when there were conflicting interpretations in the public, the Ministry’s market inspectors reacted promptly and without delay,” Balavac added.
He pointed out that during the initial inspection on November 17, 2024, in the broader area of the City of Mostar, 33 establishments were inspected. Violations of the law were identified at 15 entities, resulting in the issuance of 29 misdemeanor citations totaling 35,500 KM, while another 18 entities closed their premises upon the arrival of the inspectors.
The impact of this swift response was evident by November 24, 2024; follow-up inspections revealed no further violations, successfully achieving the objective of bringing business operations into compliance with the law.
“The same approach was applied on BiH Statehood Day, November 25, 2024, when violations were identified at 13 entities across the entire canton, leading to the issuance of 23 misdemeanor citations totaling 26,500 KM. In total, these initial enforcement actions resulted in 52 misdemeanor citations issued to 28 entities, amounting to 62,000 KM,” emphasized Minister Balavac.
He reiterated that the Ministry’s actions clearly demonstrate a commitment to non-negotiable principles, affirming that the enforcement of legal regulations is – and will remain – unaffected by the size of a business, the scale of its investment, its market position, or any individual interests or external pressures. “When the legal obligation is clear, inspection supervision is carried out equally and without exception for everyone. The primary goal of the supervision carried out by the Ministry is not the number of misdemeanor orders issued, but the establishment of complete legality in business. This directly protects the guaranteed rights of workers to rest on Sundays and holidays and ensures protection from unfair competition so that regular traders who respect the regulations are not in a disadvantageous position,” said Minister of Trade, Tourism and Environmental Protection HNK Emil Balavac, Fena writes.
