The court in Brussels has ruled to unfreeze BHANSA’s assets that had been frozen since March 21 at the request of the Slovenian company Viaduct, the portal Raport has learned. The court’s decision followed a request from the Attorney General’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Debt to Viaduct no longer an obstacle
The Ministry of Finance of Bosnia and Herzegovina previously settled a debt of more than 110 million KM, which the Attorney General’s Office proved that there was no longer any legal basis for blocking the account. The funds that were blocked belonged to Eurocontrol – the European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation – which, due to an international court ruling against Bosnia and Herzegovina, suspended the payment of fees to BHANSA. According to information, over 25 million BAM have been unblocked, which are now operational again for the work of the Agency.
Temporary assistance to avoid collapse
Although BHANSA was not a party to the arbitration dispute, the Slovenian company initiated the blocking of the Agency’s accounts and the assets of the Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In order to prevent the collapse of BHANSA and ensure the functionality of the airspace, the Council of Ministers of BiH made a temporary decision in mid-April to pay 60 million KM for salaries and regular work of the Agency.
Prior to this decision, BHANSA employees received salaries reduced by 20 percent for three months, while the Agency did not have access to its own funds.
