At the hearing of the High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Christian Schmidt, in the Palace of Westminster before the Foreign Affairs Committee of the United Kingdom (UK), his statement that he had to make a decision on state property was interesting.
The topic of state property became particularly relevant last year, after despite the decision of the Constitutional Court of BiH and the decision of the High Representative, the leader of the SNSD and the current president of the Republika Srpska (RS), Milorad Dodik, decided that he would once again embark on entity appropriation of state property.
The Law on Immovable Property of RS, which was previously contested, was recently re-adopted, and an outcome regarding the activation of the mechanism for the protection of the vital national interest of Bosniaks is expected soon.
Only the BiH Parliament can pass a new law
The decision of the High Representative in BiH from April last year points out that the ban on disposing of state property will remain in force until the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH (PABiH) passes a law regulating the rights of ownership and management of property.
What will Schmidt do?
The first scenario is that the new majority in the PABiH will reach an agreement and adopt the Law on State Property, which will, if nothing else, try to solve this long-standing issue.
The second option would be that Schmidt will further elaborate on his decision and will determine the right to dispose of a certain part of the property, which will give the entities a part of what they want.
In the third case, the Constitutional Court of BiH will have to review what is essentially the same Law on Immovable Property of the RS and again repeal it.
What is worrying in the case of the high representative is his susceptibility to being influenced by influential groups, because for him the position in BiH is just a job.
Particularly worrying, and with reason, is what could be the essence of such a decision by which the SNSD, like the HDZ, could get what it insists on because, in the past period, we have witnessed that policies that work on an open attempt to destroy BiH are not sanctioned, even though the high representative has a right to something like that, Klix.ba reports.
E.Dz.
