A sense of urgency is needed if the District authorities are to deliver on their reform commitments made before the pandemic, the Principal Deputy High Representative and Brčko District Supervisor, Michael Scanlan, stated today. This means the Assembly adopting in the first reading the three key pieces of legislation – the law on associations and foundations, the law on peaceful assembly, and the law on national minorities – before its August recess in order for the legislation to be adopted as laws in September. The Supervisor also noted the deadline to establish the public register of the income of public sector employees is the 2nd of August.
The authorities’ actions on these and other reform initiatives will serve as proof, primarily to the voters – who will be able to judge them in November based on tangible achievements – but also to international partners of their commitment to good governance. The international community is eager to continue assisting the District on the path to prosperity, provided that the District shows it is capable of using its resources – political as well as financial – to advance the wellbeing of the entire community rather than just a few.
Another important near-term task is the verification of the list of registered voters, which is a standard procedure and a legal requirement, and essential for strengthening the credibility of the election process. The Supervisor took note of the fact that, presently, there are more people eligible to vote in the District than there are residents according to the last census.
As the Supervisor has underscored many times, Brčko has a unique position and capacity to implement reforms quickly and to be an example to others in BiH on how reforms ought to be done – the only question is, do the elected officials of Brčko have the political will to make this a reality. This message was again highlighted today during the Supervisor’s meeting with the Brčko Mayor and Deputy Mayor, Siniša Milić and Anto Domić, and the District Assembly Speaker and Deputy Speaker, Esed Kadrić and Ivo Filipović. The Supervisor shares the consensus view of the District leadership on the urgent need to adopt a law on conflict of interest complying with European standards.
The Supervisor met with Ilija Studen, President of the “STUDEN & CO Holding” Board. They agreed that authorities’ measures need to be aimed at creating a favourable business environment, together with good public services and proper infrastructure, as this will attract more investors and create healthy business competition that will further benefit the community through good job opportunities. The Supervisor also met with officials of the Public Company “Komunalno Brčko.”
Scanlan noted the four new cases of COVID-19 reported in the District. He underscored that, while the initial outbreak had been contained by the excellent work of the authorities, healthcare experts and volunteers, the threat of COVID-19 to public health remains very real. The entire community needs to work together and closely observe the instructions and preventive recommendations issued by relevant authorities.
