It is unbelievable that we constantly talk about the chief negotiator of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) with the European Union (EU), while we have not adopted the key laws requested from us by the European Commission, said the Minister of Communications and Transport of BiH, Edin Forto, yesterday after the session of the Council of Ministers of BiH.
“Both candidates proposed by the Coalition of the Three, including Lejla Hasanovic on behalf of Our Party, are excellent, and I do not believe there will be a problem reaching an agreement. However, I believe that the discussion about the negotiator and the negotiation office should temporarily be put on hold until we complete the more difficult tasks set before us by the European Commission – the adoption of the Law on the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council (HJPC) and the Law on the Court of BiH,” said Forto.
He added that it is unbelievable that there is constant talk about the negotiator, while the key reform laws have not yet been adopted.
“When we pass the laws, the negotiator will come without problems,” he said, adding that he will respect any decision of the Court of BiH or the Constitutional Court regarding the competencies of the Council of Ministers of BiH.
Speaking about the status of BHRT, Forto pointed out that the public service of BiH has again not been included in the budget and that the situation remains uncertain.
“The negligence shown by the levels of government towards BHRT is astonishing, especially by the representatives of SNSD and ministers from Republika Srpska (RS). I have mentioned BHRT and stability several times, but this is a fact – I quote the report of the European Commission: one of the 14 priorities is stable and sustainable operation of the public broadcasting service. I don’t know how it could be clearer,” said Forto.
He reminded that at the previous session of the Council of Ministers of BiH, he voted against the budget precisely because of the disregard for the needs of BHRT.
“I find it unbelievable that someone allows BHRT to have no funds for monthly expenses. That is an insane situation. When we open negotiations, this will be one of the topics we will have to resolve,” he said.
When asked about the alarming letter from the director of BHRT, which states that a complete collapse of the broadcasting house is imminent, Forto said that until the political blockade is resolved, the management of BHRT must take responsibility and use the existing resources.
“The Parliament of BiH is responsible for BHRT. The management can take steps that it has not taken so far – for example, offer an efficient work model, including property management. A huge building in a good location stands empty. Thousands of square meters could have been rented out to serious companies that would pay for electricity and heating. Why that has not happened in the past ten years is a mystery,” said Forto.
He added that he had repeatedly asked the management to submit such a proposal so that, as he said, they could “push it together” through the Council of Ministers of BiH and Parliament, but that he has not received any document so far.
Finally, he emphasized that the project for demining the right bank of the Sava River, worth 14 million BAM, which had been stalled for years, has finally been unblocked.
“This is happening in the area where both the entity RS and the Federation of BiH (FBiH) are located, but especially in the Brcko District of BiH. With the completion of this project, we could carry out interventions on the navigable channel of the Sava River, which could expand the operations of the port in Brcko, our only port, by up to 30 percent of working days in a year,” said Forto.
He added that the project is not a sensational topic, but that it concerns accumulated problems that have long awaited a solution.
“This project sat in a drawer in Brussels for two and a half years; no one inquired about it. I hope it will be successful and that by spring we will bring in companies that will carry out this very important activity,” said Forto.
