INTERVIEW: EMIR KREMIC, DIRECTOR OF FBIH BUREAU OF STATISTICS
Interviewed by: Ajsela MEKIĆ
SARAJEVO, July 20 (ONASA) – Director of the FBiH Bureau of Statistics, Emir Kremic, in an interview for the Agency ONASA speaks, among other things, about the importance of the recently published results of the Census 2013 for further development and BiH’s path to the European Union (EU), the following priority statistical projects, whether the Bureau is working on some research at the moment of actual data, and how much in the Federation of BiH (FBiH) is being working to develop new and alignment with international statistical standards.
ONASA: Will the recently published results of the census of 2013 have importance for further development and BiH’s path to the EU?
KREMIC: Looking from the aspect of the integration process, the census is very important because reliable statistics data are essential in creating strategic documents, plans and development policies, including those related to integration in the EU, and they are valuable for the planning of EU financial assistance as well as help of bilateral donors. After the now published Census 2013, collected and processed statistical data will serve as indicators of statistical facts and developments in Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, what is for European integration more important are the facts that the census will provide precisely calculating the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita, which is often an indicator of the standard of living in an economy, then it will help in the way of infrastructure development on the basis of density, structure and needs of the population, but also the development of social policy, and will provide insight into existing workforce.
ONASA: Will the above census results be able to serve as a basis for the development of specific social and cultural projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina?
KREMIC: The census is the largest statistical survey of a country that collects, processes and publishes data on population, households and apartments. The goal of the census is to establish the population of the entire country, as well as on all territorial levels. In addition to the number and spatial distribution, the census provides data on the demographic, ethnic, educational, economic, migration and other features of the population, as well as on the number of households, families and their features, as well as data on housing stock and its features. These data are necessary for the implementation of economic and social development policies and scientific research, the use of funds from the EU’s and other funds, as well as other needs of citizens, which means that census is the most important source of statistical data on the population of a country.
ONASA: The National Assembly of the Republika Srpska (RSNA) has adopted a special Law on Census for this entity, what is your position?
KREMIC: the FBiH Bureau of Statistics is a professional and independent institution that deals with statistical surveys of interest to the Federation and therefore is not in our jurisdiction to comment on the adoption of a special Law on Census of the RSNA.
ONASA: According to the census, 2.82 percent of illiterate population live in BiH, is this information alarming and what to do to make this situation changed?
KREMIC: With the Census 2013, we received the information, inter alia, on the percentage of illiterate population of 2.82 per cent and it will serve to education institutions to assess the situation and on the basis of such estimates create educational policy.
ONASA: How much BiH is a patriarchal country show the data that of 1,624,924 economically inactive persons even half a million are housewives. According to the census data, 440,992 women work as housewives, of which 292,820 of them are in the Federation, what is your opinion on this information, are women discriminated in the labor market?
KREMIC: I think that according to the Census 2013 figures on the list of economically inactive persons, certain conclusions can be provided by the Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees and gender centers dealing with the situation and the role of women in a democratic society.
ONASA: What are the next priority statistical projects and is the FBiH Bureau of Statistical currently working on a study about some actual data?
KREMIC: The FBiH Bureau of Statistics together with two other statistical institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina continues to work on the development of thematic publications with the results of the Census, and besides all the other activities are defined by the Plan for statistical researches of interest for the Federation.
ONASA: How much is it being working in the Federation to develop new and alignment with international statistical standards?
KREMIC: In the framework of statistical activities, the Bureau is continuously working on the harmonization of methodology, nomenclature, classification and ledger with international standards and regulations, including standard definitions, concepts, as well as the standard procedure for calculating the statistical indicators. By adopting the statistical practices of EU it is achieved terminological harmonization and standardization of methodology, the unity using standard classifications, as well as processes for the production of more complex statistical indicators in order to achieve comparability of statistics of the FBiH and Bosnia and Herzegovina with the data of the EU countries. This has achieved the conditions for the relevance of the statistical data from the standpoint of legal regulations and methodological rules and recommendations of the EU, which showed the Census 2013, which was developed and processed in accordance with the Law and EU statistical standards.
ONASA: How much is the FBiH Bureau of Statistics included in the exchange of statistical data with other countries or international organizations arising from obligations established by international treaties and in accordance with the law at the state level or is it within the competence of the Statistical Office of BiH?
KREMIC: The Law on Statistics of BiH clearly prescribes the responsibilities of the Agency for Statistics of BiH and entity institutes, and accordingly, the Agency for Statistics performs international representation and cooperation with organizations and other bodies and carries out its international obligations in terms of statistics, and the entity institutes collect or process and submitt to the Agency for statistics statistical data which the Agency determines necessary for statistics of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
ONASA: We have information that the FBiH Bureau of Statistics and the Faculty of Economics in Sarajevo this year plan to organize a joint conference. What is its goal?
KREMIC: The FBiH Bureau of Statistics in cooperation with the Faculty of Economics in Sarajevo will organize the international conference ICOS2017 which will be held in Sarajevo, on 30 and 31 March 2017, with the aim of improving statistics in BiH. We will try to bring together the academic and professional community and data users, who will have the opportunity to present their research, share their experiences, all for the purpose of official statistics of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region.
ONASA: How many young educated people work in your team and are young people in general interested in working on the statistical, we would perhaps say, research projects and activities?
KREMIC: The FBiH Bureau of Statistics consists of employees who are educated young people as well as people with experience, which is actually the best combination of youth and experience.
Our employees with teamwork and dedication manage to meet all challenges and tasks that are set before them in accordance with national and international standards. The Bureau itself enables and supports the work of young staff that is directed towards research projects and activities as well as further vocational education and training through various forms of education, such as international and national round tables, seminars, conferences and other forms of professional training and education. (End)