INTERVIEW: ASIM ALJIĆ, MAYOR OF MUNICIPALITY ŽIVINICE
Interviewed by: Hamed IBIŠEVIĆ
SARAJEVO, August 28 (ONASA) – Mayor of the Municipality Živinice Asim Aljić in an interview for the Agency ONASA, among other things, talks about specificities and recognizability of Živinice, the work of the municipal administration, economic entities – holders of the Municipality development, industries that have the greatest potential, the largest and the most common problems encountered, the most important projects, cooperation with other town and municipalities in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Mayor Aljić gave an interview during a recent visit to the Agency ONASA in new premises in Hamdije Kreševljakovića 12 / I.
ONASA: What is distinctive for Živinice, and what are its advantages compared to other municipalities?
ALJIĆ: Živinice is a town of approximately 300 square kilometers of surface and located in Tuzla Canton. They are known to most of our BiH citizens, whether they live here or abroad, because through Živinice passes a large number of major roadways, such as the road M-18 Sarajevo-Tuzla-Županja, thus Živinice for all those who travel on this route are indispensable relation through which they have to pass, then a large number of regional roads (Živinice-Banovići, Živinice-Zvornik, Lukavac-Živinice-Šekovići, as well as the railroad Brčko-Banovići and Tuzla-Zvornik). With the highway the Municipality is connected with Sarajevo as the capital of the state, which is 120 kilometers away, and the City of Tuzla, at a distance of 19 kilometers from the area of our Municipality.
Živinice are also known, and it is becoming increasingly popular to our and even foreign citizens, by the nearness of the Airport “Tuzla”, which is located some 10 kilometers from the town of Živinice, and which due to its size is located in the Municipality Živinice, namely the local community Dubrave Gornje. We are witnessing, especially in recent times, the increasing number of citizens using air transportation, whether they go on vacation, official trip, visit to a family, and with relatively affordable and reasonable prices, this type of air traffic and Airport Tuzla, is currently in great development phase. This would be basic and brief facts, although Živinice are known for many more things, of course, in a positive sense, and I hope to have the opportunity to talk about them in the next part of our discussion.
ONASA: How would you rate the work of the municipal administration in the past period? What are the most significant projects implemented in 2014?
ALJIĆ: I can assess the work of the municipal administration in the previous period, ie the period since I am at the head of the Municipality, as satisfactory. Note that I am in this position less than 8 months and of course I am competent only to talk about that period. Živinice is the municipality with about 70.000 citizens, which means that looking at the number of inhabitants we are just behind the cantonal center – Tuzla in the area of Tuzla Canton, which of course affects the number of contacts of citizens via requests and cases that are daily submitted to the municipal Administrative Services. Furthermore, if we take into account the fact that Živinice is known as an area with a relatively developed business zones, where there is a large number (about 350) of companies, which also in order to obtain adequate permits (construction, urban planning, etc.), purchase or lease of land have to contact municipal administration, we can imagine the frequency of cases that arrive daily in the counter hall of the Municipality. Since the municipal Administrative Services regularly and within the legal deadlines acted on incoming cases, the materials that were discussed at sessions of the Municipal Council, were also prepared on time, which is the responsibility of the executive branch and myself as the Mayor, I can say that I am fairly satisfied with the work of municipal services, that is, with the work of heads of municipal services, civil servants and employees, but in the coming period I will use some powers which as the Mayor I can apply, in order to achieve greater efficiency and speed in the work of the municipal administration.
Of completed projects from the previous period, special attention should be given to the construction of a modern wastewater treatment plant, the equivalent of 42.000 inhabitants, for the whole town and city center area. This project has a special significance both for citizens and for the ecology and environmental protection, and from the aspect of the financial side because it was financed in the amount of 8.5 million euros, by means of World Bank, European Commission and international funds. Also, in the area of all 26 local communities in the Municipality Živinice were implemented numerous infrastructure projects, of which the most numerous are paving of roads, the street/public lighting, sewerage networks. As a reminder, and in relation to the implementation of projects, I have to say that after the floods in May 2014, mainly the priority of the Municipality Živinice (which has, unfortunately, suffered huge damage due to floods) were construction of bridges, rehabilitation of landslides and arranging beds of rivers Spreča, Oskova and Gostelja, in order to create the technical conditions that in the coming years we are ready to face any natural disaster and reduce the possibility of damages to public property and property of our citizens.
ONASA: What are the business entities holders of development of the Municipality Živinice, and are there any announcement that in the coming period there could be an increase in a number of business entities?
ALJIĆ: Holders of the economic development of the Municipality Živinice once were the RMU “Đurđevik” and wood industry “Konjuh” Živinice, which had more than 4.000 employees. Economic environment consisted of several small businesses, which, according to a number of employees and volume of business did not have a significant role in creating a business environment. After the war was intensified development of the private sector, mainly small and medium enterprises, which at the end of 2008, became holders of the economic development, and it is confirmed by a much larger number of employees in the private sector than a number of past large companies. Today in the Municipality operates five industrial zones, including the most successful industrial zone “Raspberries” in which successfully operates more than 80 business entities.
In 2014 operated 343 companies. A number of companies has shown steady increase so that a number of companies increased by 0.6 percent over the previous year, even by 15.5 percent more than in 2004.
From the aspect of capital ownership and organizational forms of companies are dominant private capital and limited liability company.
Živinice’s economy is trade dominated for many years, and that has not changed even in 2014. Confirmation of this fact is found in the fact that over 39 percent of companies is engaged in the trade (ie. 135) and thereby generate more than 43 percent of the gross income of the economy and employ more than 16 percent of the total number of workers.
The second branch of the economy by the results achieved is the manufacturing industry, in which is currently engaged over 17 percent of companies (ie. 60), thereby generating more than 23 percent of the gross income of the economy and employ more than 27 percent of the total number of workers.
There is a significant number of companies in the area of the Municipality Živinice, which could be seen as holders of economic development. Without diminishing the importance of those who this time are not mentioned I would like to list companies which business rating, measured as the dynamic mark of business and which is the result of the analysis of seven fixed and one variable parameters and ranges from 1 to 5+, is rated with 5 and 5+.
Therefore, mark 5 for business results in 2014 “deserved”: PROFINE BH doo; KERA & DISK doo; ADEN doo; HD TRUMIĆ doo; ALGORITAM-INŽENJERING doo; EUFRAT doo; EM-ELECTRONICS doo; and mark 5+: ALFE-MI doo; DISK doo; GEMIP doo; BM-COMPANY doo; ERLEJ-COMERCE doo; MIDEN COMPANY doo and ALMERS doo.
ONASA: Which industries have the highest potential for investment and what does the Municipality do in order to attract investors, domestic and foreign?
ALJIĆ: Municipality Živinice to potential investors made available established network of business zones, with developed infrastructure, and capabilities of greenfield and brownfield investments in various industries. Local authorities are at all times available to potential investors for contacts and help in setting up a business.
Expert analyzes show that the greatest potential for investment is an investment in the following economic sectors: agricultural production and food industry, where the focus is on improving the breeding of fruit and vegetables in the open air, greenhouse production, milk production, and support to the networking and pooling of agricultural producers, which is further basis for the development of food industry;
production – crafts sector, where the emphasis should be on developing the production import substituted via import and increasing the capacity of existing wood and metal industry;
the energy sector, which development in the future should be based on renewable energy sources, ie. solar power and biomass;
and the tourism sector, by which I mean the recreation and hunting tourism, as well as historical and religious tourism.
In order to improve service to the business community and the citizens the Municipality Živinice has implemented regulatory reform and thereby improved the business environment getting closer to the modern trends in e-government. The special benefits for investors include, amongst others, shortened deadlines for implementation of administrative procedures, reduced costs for the implementation of administrative procedures, SMS monitoring of the status of a case, the electronic register of administrative procedures of the Municipality Živinice.
More detailed information about everything that might interest potential, both domestic and foreign investors, are available in the guide for investors on the website of the Municipality.
ONASA: What are the biggest problems you face?
ALJIĆ: The biggest problem of all local communities in BiH is the chronic lack of funds in the municipal budgets. To municipalities pursuant to the Law on the Allocation of Public Revenues belongs only 8.4 percent, although in the creation of these revenues they participate with much higher percentage. Then, if we consider that municipalities equally with other levels of government participate in repayment of debt to the IMF, and that they did not participate in its creation, one can see an incorrect position of municipalities with respect to higher levels of government. Although the constitutional-normative regulation provides that many affairs have to be transferred from the cantons to municipalities (e.g. primary education), cantons simply retain many powers for themselves and do not follow the normative model, but often less attractive affairs (addressing issues of veterans population, social categories of population, refugees and displaced persons) are transferred from the cantons or higher levels of government to municipalities, and are not accompanied by adequate financial resources which should not be the case, since the Law on Principles of Local Government provides that for delegated affairs are transferred and the necessary funds. It is, unfortunately, in most cases determined in a way that these issues are borne by municipalities and the municipal budget.
Another problem which is expressed throughout our country and that is expressed in the Municipality Živinice is unemployment. Which is why as the Mayor I will do everything in my power, in order to stimulate our businessmen, who will in the near future, I hope, be able to employ as many of our citizens and young people from our municipality and beyond.
ONASA: On what will be your work accent in the future, that is, what are the most important projects you plan to implement?
ALJIĆ: In the coming period I primarily expect – as so far during my mandate, normal and regular functioning of municipal administration and all public enterprises and institutions of the Municipality Živinice, which includes, of course, the regular financing of their basic needs from the municipal budget. As for the implementation of projects in area of the Municipality Živinice, I will continue to, with the support of the Municipal Council, in line with the medium-term vision of the development of the Municipality Živinice – which development is currently underway, implement infrastructure projects, one of which rightly deserves the greatest attention. Namely, it is the Project of District Heating of Živinice. This project citizens of Živinice, even those living in the diaspora and who sometimes come to Živinice, wait for a very long time, because when in the winter many boilers start operating, Živinice are trapped by gray cloud of smoke and take on a completely different picture than the one we can now see – green, flowers, parks, Town Boulevard. I am pleased that I am in a position to say that this year we start with the beginning of the first phase of this project – the secondary part, for which we have provided funds in the amount of approximately 1.5 million BAM.
Given that this is a very expensive and complex project of the total investment value of around 16 million BAM, we have, in cooperation with Elektroprivreda BiH, applied for EU funds, funds of the FBiH Environmental Protection Fund and other higher levels of government, and we hope that Živinice in the near future will have solved the burning and I would say the most important question seen from the perspective of the protection of health and the environment.
Then I want to emphasize that will be continued previously initiated arrangemnt and cleaning of the riverbed of Spreča river, in the lenght of additional 10 kilometers, up to the border with Kalesija, and that in the final phase are activities of the projects of repair of damaged river beds of Oskova and Gostelja, worth about 800.000 BAM.
In the final phase is the construction of one and in the first the construction of the second bridge on the river Oskova, and they are completely new bridges because old ones were totally devastated by the floods in May 2014.
As for other projects, construction of the Town’s Boulevard is continued, and from the municipal budget for this project will be allocated about 300.000 BAM so the town could finally look better organized and have better appearance.
Out of the planned projects which implementation is expected in this year is thearrangement of the intersection “Bišinka”, with the entrance to M-18, and the arrangement of the intersection at the entrance to the business zone “New Town”, which financing will partly come from the municipal budget, while the bigger part of the funds is provided by the Roads Directorate of the FBiH, and the value of these projects amounts to 400.000 BAM.
Also are continued activities on resolving the “black spot” – on the road R-455 A, Finali-Konjuh, where the Municipality will expropriate land needed and the construction of the intersection will be financed Road Directorate of TK. This is a very important project which will to our citizens from several local communities enable easier and faster entry into the town, and certainly improve the safety of students who daily use this road on the way to school.
Intensified are and activities in order to in the coming period create the prerequisites for quality and regular supply of drinking water to entire town and suburbs, which will ultimately result in the independent from the Tuzla aqueduct – functioning aqueduct, of which we will be the owners.
Reconstruction of the aqueduct Đurđevik and completion of the aqueduct Kuljan – are also a priority of the Municipality Živinice and are already started activities on securing the funds from the relevant cantonal ministry.
ONASA: What is your cooperation with other municipalities and towns in Bosnia and Herzegovina?
ALJIĆ: Cooperation with other municipalities and towns is essentially satisfactory. Of course that cooperation with municipalities from territory of TK intensified, primarily because of its proximity, then similar opportunities according to which the municipalities of Tuzla Canton operate in. On this occasion, I must mention the special cooperation with neighboring municipalities of Banovici and Kladanj, and one of our joint project. In fact, it is a project of building a regional landfill waste for the three municipalities, thus forming a joint venture PE “Eco-Sep” d.o.o. Zivinice. This project is of great significance primarily for the protection of the environment, also because all three municipalities have a problem of unresolved issue of solid waste management, thus at all territories of these three municipalities there are several illegal landfills.
This project is significant for reasons of financing because EU funds just offer tremendous resources that should be focused on environmental protection and pollution reduction, and such regional projects, ie projects thanks to which more citizens will benefit from, without taking into account any entity, canton or municipality it belongs to, is one of the main criteria for granting funds. Since the preliminary design of regional landfill has been completed, we hope that early next year we could start with realization of this project.
ONASA: Do you have support of higher levels of government and in which aspects is it realized?
ALJIĆ: As far as support from higher levels of government, it is certainly not sufficient and I think that at least the most part of my colleagues will agree with me. As for the support of the Government of TK for projects within the competence of municipalities, I would mention the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, which; I would say, equally provides financial support to projects in these areas, and we hope that with the Ministry of Spatial Planning and environmental protection in the future we will have good cooperation, since we are facing the realization of the heating system of which I spoke earlier. The fact is that the country of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and especially its entities, still do not pay enough attention to local government and its bodies which fully respect and implement the legislation, fundamental human rights and freedoms of citizens and their needs, which are an indispensable requirement for living and working conditions of all citizens in the local area.
Higher levels of executive and administrative authorities, in a way, using its broad authority, and the powers that be claim or delegate certain responsibilities, are “suffocating” local self-government and thus prevent a faster and greater development of local communities;
It is necessary to change the regulatory framework of local government in Bosnia and Herzegovina in order to adapt it to the fundamental principles enshrined in the European Charter of Local Self-Government, which requires a significant number of interventions and higher levels of government in terms of adaptation of numerous legal regulations, then increase the powers of local governments in the management and use of local resources.
It is logical that the decentralization of functions at the local level, accompanied by fiscal decentralization, but these two processes in our country generally do not run parallel and synchronized because typically in such cases it is expected that higher levels of government (the entity or the entity and cantonal in the FBiH), transfer jurisdiction at the local level but retain “control” of the funds for themselves. (end)