Republika Srpska (RS) could face new international sanctions, President Milorad Dodik announced on Friday. He added that such a situation would require a change of priorities so that citizens would not feel it. Can future political moves prevent such a scenario?
The United States (U.S.) blacklists concerned individuals from the political elite. Suspended funding of projects by Germany could affect the development of certain sectors and local communities. If one considers the earlier U.S. announcement of lobbying international financiers to stop the flow of money, the consequences could be more extensive. It forced a kind of opening of cards of the political top in Banja Luka.
“Of course, due to the situation in which the foreigners are announcing that they will make RS funding impossible, we will have to rearrange our priorities, but it will certainly not be at the expense of the people who live here. We will ensure that their salaries and pensions are regular,“ explained Milorad Dodik, President of RS.
Although an important factor could be the outcome of the indictment against Dodik, analysts believe that there is a path by which new sanctions could be avoided. The condition could be the adoption of law from the group of European priorities at the session of the House of Representatives of the state parliament on Tuesday.
“Here it is very important to highlight an element, the session that should take place on August 22nd. There we saw three reasons that indicate that this session could satisfy the European Union (EU),“ told Tanja Topic, a political analyst.
The basis for this assessment is Dodik’s assurance that the SNSD will vote for pro-European laws despite the indictment against him and that his political partners also talk in this tone. There is also the remark of the head of the EU delegation that we are living in the crucial ten days for the country’s European path. However, in the opposition ranks, Dodik’s warnings are interpreted as preparing the public for a difficult period.
“I am afraid that the citizens of the RS will only feel the consequences in the coming period, that the standard of living will drop even more, and I am afraid that those sanctions that do not affect the regime and Dodik, but the citizens, will have disastrous consequences,“ said Nebojsa Vukanovic, president For justice and order.
The economists who were contacted say that for now there are no elements to assess the possible consequences or changes in priorities in the financial policy of the RS because the game is still being played on the political field.
E.Dz.
